How Does DCPS Decide When to Call a Snow Day?

A DC street lined with snow – photo credit: Zoe Becker (‘26) 

DCPS schools have long been notorious for their conservative policy regarding snow days. Indeed, just this year on January 8 dozens of DMV schools closed their doors as DCPS remained open. Many students' first thought is to blame DCPS for opening schools on the days they’d rather stay home. Typically, Instagram comment sections announcing school openings are flooded with angry students. 

Despite student outrage, there was good reason for DC schools to remain open that day in January In DC, a lot of the roads were cleared of snow and the sidewalks were salted, but in different parts of the DMV, very little snow and ice cleanup had taken place, leading to many complaints.

Even in cases where DCPS operational status is unsatisfactory to students, their anger may be misguided upon taking a closer look at who really makes the calls regarding snow days in DCPS.

DCPS is not responsible for the snow day decision. Rather, the Mayor of DC, (currently Muriel Bowser) is in charge of deciding whether DCPS school days are canceled or have a delay due to bad weather. She decides to cancel school with several elements in mind. According to the DCPS website these elements include, “temperature and wind chill, levels of snow and ice, road conditions, the availability of public transit, and how these conditions are forecast to develop over the course of the day.” In these reports, she looks for data that shows if it is safe or not for students to go outside. The biggest thing that is looked at is snow and ice, which can be the biggest threat to safety for students traveling. 

Despite the complex range of factors involved in these decisions, they are seldom perfect. Students often report still being late to school due to ice and snow on a day when school was not canceled or delayed. 

One student, Maya Mehta Smith (‘28) remarked, “When there was a lot of snow the buses did not come often, which is really annoying because it was the morning we had to go to school. It was really inconvenient for me.”

A common belief among students is that DCPS’ leniency when opening schools is in consideration of student dependence on school meals. However, based on DCPS documentation, students’ reliance on school meals doesn’t factor into snow closures. Rather, the District has a set of comprehensive guidelines for how to get students food on days when school is closed. According to the Winter Weather Day Student Nutrition Plan, the OSSE gives out a possible plan and recommendations under the guidance of the Summer Food Service Program, (SFSP) for days when schools aren’t open. The document notes, “Waivers afford states additional flexibility to reach more children in a measured way without sacrificing the purpose and intent of SFSP.” For example, on snow days, the District may distribute waivers for students to get meals at non-school sites throughout the city. 

While Bowser’s decisions are final for public schools, her jurisdiction doesn’t extend to local private or charter schools. Private schools themselves typically get to decide to close their school. Like the mayor, they take into account the weather, the availability of transportation, etc. Meanwhile, charter schools are governed by a board with seven members nominated by the Mayor, and the board decides whether charter schools get closed or not.