WASHINGTON — Alexandria City Public Schools will be closed Wednesday after more than 300 staff members requested the day off.
The “unusually high number” of call-outs may be connected with the “Day Without a Woman” nationwide protest and social media campaign, school superintendent Alvin Crawley said in a statement.
Wednesday also marks International Women’s Day.
March 8 will be a teacher workday, Crawley said. March 10 was already a regularly scheduled workday.
“This is not a decision that was made lightly,” Crawley said, adding it was “based solely on our ability to provide sufficient staff to cover all our classrooms.”
The decision to close school “is not based on a political stance or position,” Crawley said.
Students will not have to make up the day, in part because the lack of severe winter weather means schools still have plenty of snow days to use.
All scheduled after-school activities will continue as planned on Wednesday, the school said.
Breakfast and lunch will still be provided at certain school locations. They are:
- Patrick Henry Elementary School
- Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology
- William Ramsay Elementary School
- Francis C. Hammond Middle School
- T.C. Williams High School
The “Day without a Woman” campaign was started by organizers of the Women’s March on Washington, which drew massive crowds to D.C. for a peaceful protest on the National Mall the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
So far, no other schools in the region have plans to close school.
Fairfax County Public Schools has no plans to close school, spokesman John Torre told WTOP in an email.
Montgomery County Public Schools told WTOP they are monitoring the situation but didn’t have any announcements to make Monday.
D.C. Public Schools will be open Wednesday “and all students and staff are expected to be in school throughout the day so that teaching and learning can continue,” DCPS Chief of Schools John Davis said in a statement.
WTOP has also requested comment from Prince George’s County Public Schools.
WTOP’s Darci Marchese and Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
