Inclement Weather Update: Jan. 8, 2025
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
Our team continues to monitor and partner with Hanover County Government regarding the issues facing the county’s water service, including the active boil water advisory for residents east of I-95 who still have water service. We also continue to evaluate the impact of the winter storm, including slick secondary roads.
Please be assured that our team is working diligently to reopen our schools as quickly and safely as possible, and we take this responsibility seriously.
Plan for Thursday
As we shared with you yesterday, the vast majority of our schools utilize Hanover County water service. While we remain hopeful that service will be restored soon, we do not currently have water at 17 of our 24 schools. This significantly affects our operations since we rely upon this water to provide students and staff with food service, access to restrooms, and more. Additionally, several of our schools rely upon water to operate their heating and air conditioning units. We strongly encourage you to check
the Hanover County website for continuous updates regarding water service.
Additionally, there are uncleared, slick secondary roads throughout the county. These conditions are again not expected to improve overnight due to freezing temperatures that are forecasted to be in the teens.
As a result,
HCPS will be CLOSED on Thursday, January 9. Employees use Code 6. At the earliest possible time, only designated emergency personnel report to work. All other employees work remotely as able.
We understand this is disruptive and sincerely appreciate your patience as we work to make the best possible decisions for our students and staff. We hope that sharing this information well in advance is helpful to you as you begin to make the necessary arrangements.
What’s Next?
Please know that
our team continues to make the necessary plans for the safe reopening of our schools, including those for food service preparation, bottled water distribution, fire safety, and clearing parking lots and sidewalks, among other things. While we are eager to have our students return to school, we will only do so when it is safe.
A decision regarding the opening of school on Friday, January 10 has not yet been made as we continue to plan and evaluate the safety of both water and road conditions. We will keep you informed should any additional delays or closures be necessary.
Please note that
a communication is forthcoming regarding the impact of tomorrow’s closure on the 2024-25 school calendar. Please stay tuned.
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As always, we appreciate your support. Thank you.
Stay safe and warm,
Hanover County Public Schools