Alexandria City Public Schools will continue with synchronous virtual learning tomorrow (Monday), as the school system aims to reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday.
All ACPS buildings and offices will remain closed “due to continuing frigid temperatures resulting in sidewalks not being cleared and safe for students to walk to school and wait for the bus,” Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt announced this afternoon. The closure comes as crews remove what is known as “snowcrete,” or thick, compacted layers of frozen snow and ice, from ACPS facilities.
“Our goal is to reopen schools for in-person instruction on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with a possible two-hour delay once we have assessed all conditions,” Kay-Wyatt wrote.
The City of Alexandria is “partnering very closely” with ACPS, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said on social media earlier today. Bus drivers were able to perform a “dry run” on Saturday and provide feedback to the city on areas of concern.
“Then we sent out strike teams to go focus on those priority areas,” Gaskins said. “The key issue, though, remains, sidewalks, sidewalks, sidewalks. The city will focus on the sidewalks that we own, but we need you, if you have not shoveled your sidewalk, to please get out there and make that a priority for you today.”
The city is also focusing on major and high-crash intersections as well as high-use pedestrian routes determined by walk audits and Safe Routes to School programs, Gaskins said.
Alexandria has been disposing of snow at Northern Virginia Community College, which is allowing the city to store snow on its property, after Daingerfield Island and Four Mile Run Park reached capacity.
“We did 119 bus stops yesterday,” Gaskins said. “We continue to do bus stops, pedestrian crossings, crosswalks — all of that is a focus and continues to be for today.”
As virtual leaning proceeds, ACPS will continue to distribute to-go lunches, free of charge, to all kids under 18 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. tomorrow at these locations.
- Alexandria City High School, 3330 King Street – Door #34
- Charles Barrett Elementary School, 1115 Martha Custis Drive – Main Entrance
Students are requested to be present at meal pickup.
Families are encouraged to check students’ Canvas or Clever accounts no later than 8 a.m. tomorrow for details about scheduling. Attendance will also be taken through these platforms.
An update from Kay-Wyatt about ACPS reopening is available, below.
For tomorrow, some schools throughout the region will remain closed as communities continue working to return to normalcy following last weekend’s winter storm and several days of sustained freezing temperatures.
As you know, the prolonged below-freezing conditions have created additional challenges and delayed the process of clearing school facilities. Crews have been working to remove what is commonly referred to as “snowcrete”—thick, compacted layers of frozen snow and ice. Unlike regular snowfall, snowcrete requires specialized equipment and additional time to remove safely.
Tomorrow is expected to be the first day above freezing in nine days, and we are hopeful that these improved conditions will allow crews to make meaningful progress in completing snow and ice removal across school properties.
Thank you for your patience over the past several days as we have worked to clear school buildings, walkways and grounds to allow students and staff to safely return to in-person instruction.
We are also continuing to work closely with the City of Alexandria to clear school parking lots and surrounding streets to ensure staff have safe access to buildings and parking as we prepare for reopening.
More details are available on the ACPS website.
Photo via ACPS/Facebook.
