Central Va. parents frustrated by extended school closures

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Parents of students at Central Virginia schools are frustrated as inclement weather conditions keep some schools closed for a second week.

While progress is being made at many schools to clear the ice from parking lots and prepare buses, school systems that are staying closed say neighborhood roads are still unsafe for buses. Those school systems have been closed since Monday, Jan. 26.

Parents still don't have clarity on when their children will return to the classroom.

"The school system seemed like they were blindsided about this," said Ken Beach, who has two students in Henrico Public Schools.

"People have to come out of pocket to pay for full day care for their children now, or they have to take PTO, or they just don't show up to work because the kids need to be taken care of," Beach said.

"All this, you know, cascading of effects that are going on because someone at the county level decided, well, we're not going to plow the schools, we're going to let the weather take care of it," Beach said.

Henrico Public Schools will have a remote learning day Wednesday. Officials say, "if schools must be closed again on Thursday, HCPS will again leverage a remote learning day and convert the early dismissal day on March 19 to a full day of instruction."

Richmond Public Schools will be back in session on a two hour delay Wednesday, after saying 90% of school parking lots had been cleared and salted.

But parents don't feel confident about the conditions on their streets.

"People are really expressing concern that tomorrow, I saw a post that someone said, even if the schools open tomorrow, I don't feel safe sending my kid there," said Shannon Heady, who has a student at RPS. "Just because of the way their neighborhood looks."

Visit this page to find a full list of area closures and delays.