Bridget Reed Morawski
WMAL.com
MANASSAS — (WMAL) Prince William County Board Chairman Corey Stewart is criticizing the school district for the prolonged school closing following the blizzard.
Stewart told NewsChannel 8 Thursday that it was “ridiculous” that children still had not returned to class after a week-long closure.
VDOT did a good job of clearing roads, Stewart said, and that every road in the district had been hit by a plow at least once by Monday.
He blames “helicopter parents” and risk-adverse school systems for the lengthy closures, adding that schools systems tend to copy one another with school closures because they don’t want to be culpable if something bad happens.
“It’s gotten to the point where we’re pushing our kids through an entire week of school, and that’s going to, at some point, cut into their summer time recess,” said Stewart.
“So I’m a bit concerned about the school system.”
Stewart also noted the inconvenience that the extended closing had on parents in the area.
“Most parents got Monday off, and a lot of us got Tuesday off as well,” said Stewart. “Most people were back to work Wednesday, Thursday, and then tomorrow, and their kids are going to be off of school. So this presents a major inconvenience for many people.”
Steven L. Watts, the Superintendent of Prince Williams County Schools, could not be reached for comment, as the offices were closed for the day.
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