Montgomery County Schools Extend Closures After Storm

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has faced a week of significant disruption following the powerful winter storm Fern, which blanketed the region with more than half a foot of snow and ice. As of Thursday, January 29, 2026, MCPS officials announced that all schools and offices would remain closed through Friday, January 30, extending a closure that began at the start of the week. The district now anticipates a two-hour delay for reopening on Monday, February 2, though that plan could change depending on how quickly roads and sidewalks can be made safe for students and staff.

"For MCPS to open safely, we need bus-accessible roads, pedestrian-safe sidewalks, and school campuses with safe entries, cleared parking lots and sidewalks free from ice and snow," the district said in a statement Thursday afternoon, as reported by WTOP and other local outlets. The message was clear: safety comes first, and the work of restoring normalcy is proving more difficult than many might expect.

Despite the county officially ending its snow emergency declaration at 7 a.m. on January 29, the aftereffects of the storm remain widespread. According to The MoCo Show, MCPS building service employees are still hard at work clearing school facilities, with some campuses just beginning the process of removing snow and ice from bus lanes and parking lots. As of the latest update, only 30% of school parking lots and bus loops have been fully cleared, with the remaining 70% still in progress—a sobering statistic for families hoping for a quick return to school routines.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor, speaking to WTOP, emphasized the scale of the challenge. "We’re also fully aware, and receive numerous pictures from our families, of streets that haven’t been plowed, that haven’t been touched, that haven’t been treated, and we just know that we can’t get a bus down those roads safely," Taylor said. With 230 school buildings and facilities scattered throughout Montgomery County, each with acres of parking lots and roadways, the task is enormous. Taylor also pointed out that northern and western portions of the county often receive more snow, and that the mix of multilane residential routes and narrow rural roads complicates clearing efforts. "A significant portion of our county is actually agricultural reserve, and a lot of people overlook that," he noted, alluding to the two-lane rural routes that crisscross the region.

Another key consideration is the status of sidewalks and bus stops—both for school and public transit. Uncleared sidewalks create additional hazards, as students and other pedestrians may be forced to walk in the road, heightening the risk of accidents. The county has responded by pausing enforcement of sidewalk snow clearing requirements until Monday, February 2, recognizing that sustained freezing temperatures have left many sidewalks slick and difficult to fully clear, as reported by The MoCo Show.

Staff availability has emerged as a critical factor in the district’s decision-making. "Your teacher’s road, your principal’s road, your paraprofessional’s road or your bus driver’s road may not be clear," Taylor told WTOP. "Without our critical staff to make it into the schoolhouse to open it up, it really isn’t school." This sentiment was echoed in MCPS’s official statement: "Your road may be clear, but the staff required to operate your child’s school may live on a street that hasn’t been touched yet. Simply put: No staff means we can’t open."

Looking ahead, officials are cautiously optimistic but realistic about the timeline for reopening. The district anticipates a two-hour delay on Monday, February 2, but warns that this could change depending on continued efforts by county and state crews to clear roads and ensure safe walking routes for students. An update on the district’s operational status will be sent after 4 p.m. Sunday, giving families as much notice as possible.

In the meantime, MCPS has expanded its emergency meal distribution sites for Friday, January 30, with meal pickup available between 12 and 2 p.m. at sixteen elementary schools across the county, including Fox Chapel, Arcola, Harriet Tubman, Fairland, Brown Station, Poolesville, Dr. Sally K. Ride, Stedwick, Whetstone, Harmony Hills, New Hampshire Estates, Sargent Shriver, Gaithersburg, Mill Creek Towne, Cresthaven, and Southlake. Families can receive up to three days’ worth of meals, with eligibility extended to anyone 18 or younger, or individuals older than 18 with a disability. This effort aims to ensure that students who rely on school meals are not left without support during the extended closure.

Some child care sites will also be open on Friday, though availability varies by location and is dependent on snow and ice removal. MCPS advises families to contact child care providers directly to confirm whether services are operating. Weekend activities—including Saturday school, athletics, and community use of school facilities—are canceled for Saturday, January 31, and Sunday, February 1, while crews continue working to clear bus loops and parking lots.

Parents and students may be wondering how these closures will affect the school calendar. State law requires at least 180 days of instruction each school year. For the 2025-2026 calendar, MCPS included 181 instructional days, meaning that of the four snow days so far, only three will need to be made up. The calendar also includes several contingency days, with the remaining options for make-up days falling on March 20, April 15, June 18, and June 22 through 26. During the previous school year, similar closures led the district to add two days to the end of the year after four days were lost to inclement weather.

Weather forecasts suggest that temperatures will remain frigid through the weekend, giving crews more time to address lingering ice issues but also complicating efforts to return to normal operations. As The MoCo Show put it, having three additional days for cleanup could prove beneficial, allowing for a more thorough and safer reopening process.

For the latest updates, families are encouraged to visit the official MCPS website. As the community waits for the thaw, the focus remains on safety, patience, and the tireless work of those clearing the way for students to return to their classrooms.