Closings & Delays

​Every school day, our buses travel a geographical area of nearly 750 square miles to transport our students to and from school. The decision to change the school schedule or cancel school due to inclement weather is based solely on student safety and takes into consideration:

• Road conditions for bus travel and student and staff drivers;
• Weather forecasts; and
• Assessments by law enforcement, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and other localities.

The school division considers four options when bad weather becomes a factor in the school schedule:

• Delay the opening of school by one hour;
• Delay the opening of school by two hours;
• Dismiss school early; or
• Cancel school for the day.

Albemarle County’s large size and mixture of rural and urban settings creates a unique challenge for the school division in determining school delays and closings. Our buses travel roads ranging from multi-lane highways to narrow dirt roads crossing mountains and one-lane bridges. Often roads in the urban ring around Charlottesville may be clear while those in more rural areas may be inaccessible for a longer period of time following a storm. When a significant portion of the county’s roads cannot be navigated safely by school buses, the decision is made to close school.

​Families can learn the division’s school schedule status during inclement weather in several ways:

Receive an alert from the Electronic School Notification System. Parents are provided an opportunity at the start of each school year to enroll to receive electronic notifications from the school division by phone (landline or cellular) and/or e-mail. Parents also may enroll at any time by contacting their child’s school.

Call the School Schedule Hotline. Call (434) 296-5886 to listen to a pre-recorded message about school operations for the day. Para español, llame al (434) 975-9332.

Visit the Albemarle County Public Schools website. Look for the red notification banner at the top of any web page. Detailed information about delayed openings, early closings and cancellations is provided on the School Closings web page. 

Connect with us through Social Media. “Follow” us on Twitter, or “Like” us on Facebook.

Tune in to local media outlets. School schedule changes are broadcast on several local radio and television stations, as well as local media websites.

Call the Community Hotline. Call (434) 975-9331 to find out if the school buildings will be available for scheduled building rentals during inclement weather.

​Please make certain your child’s school has current information regarding where your child should go in the event of an early closing.

Inclement Weather Program

Offered through Albemarle County’s Extended Day Enrichment Programs (EDEP), the Inclement Weather Program typically operates on the second consecutive day of school closure due to inclement weather from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Mary C. Greer Elementary School. Any student enrolled in an Albemarle County elementary school (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade) is eligible to participate; however, students must be pre-registered to attend. For more information about this program, contact EDEP at (434) 296-5840, or visit www.k12albemarle.org/edep.