DC Public School students return to class despite difficult road conditions

WASHINGTON - Sunday's snow is sticking around the DMV with temperatures still well below freezing.

Across our region, some streets remain unplowed, and heavy equipment is moving in.

The icy streets and sidewalks are causing chaos for commuters, but that didn't stop D.C. public schools on Thursday, bringing students back to the classroom after a two-hour delay.

Split opinions:

While some welcomed the news, many said the district needs more time to escape the still brutal conditions.

The Washington Teachers Union told FOX 5 that they just want honesty from the district.

"The messaging from the district and the mayor is ‘everything’s great, it's clear,’ and we're sitting there looking and you can see with your eyes, it's not," said Laura Fuchs with the Washington Teachers Union.

Many parents voiced their frustration with the roads remaining difficult to navigate.

"This is very frustrating, having to deal with this," said mom Sasha Shahidinejab, who has a daughter in pre-K. "I figured it would be a lot and require a lot of patience." 

"Everybody's parked in the street. Two-lane streets are one lane. Everybody’s trying to figure out, this is not safe at all," said Danielle Myrieckes, another DCPS parent.

But others are happy to have their kids heading back to class despite the road conditions. 

"I think it's really great, it's taken a lot of effort to get schools back on," one DCPS dad told FOX 5.

"I'm glad it's open, I'm glad the kids are learning, but it's tough to get here," another parent said. "A lot of residential streets still aren't plowed."

Snow piles cause problems:

Some parents say they had to park in the streets and couldn't find a safe way to walk their kids in through unshoveled and icy sidewalks and roads.

The Washington Teachers Union tells me they've been bombarded with impassable crosswalks, and that schools in upper Northwest had high rates of attendance while those east of the river only saw 20 to 30 percent of students show up on Thursday.

Many buildings were also understaffed because educators from outside the district couldn't make it in.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said that crews are working day and night to clear access to schools.

"I know you mentioned parents who aren't happy. You failed to mention parents who are thrilled," Bowser said while speaking to media on Thursday. "The school decision is fraught with happy, unhappy on either side."

Dig deeper:

At buildings where teachers rely on street parking, they've put off-site parking in place and are running shuttles but the union says it's still a challenge.

FOX 5 spoke with D.C. Superintendent Dr. Antoinette Mitchell. She says with a school system that has 100,000 students across more than 240 schools, they've worked tirelessly to make sure kids can get back to learning safely.

"We know there's work yet to do and our crews are out, but we’ve got to get back to normal and this is what gotta do, safely as possible," Mitchell said. 

Monday was already a scheduled day off, so families are dealing with two missed days due to this snowstorm. Most schools have three to five built-in snow days for the year.

D.C. schools are open again on Friday, still operating on that two-hour delay.