George Washington Middle School in Alexandria is one of more than 15 schools that will close on the ‘Day Without A Woman.’ (Photo by dullshick)

Without a single flurry in the forecast, Alexandria City Public Schools will close the system’s 17 schools on Wednesday. Instead of snow, a planned nationwide strike on International Woman’s Day is responsible.

More than 300 staffers had already asked to take the day off, an “unusually high number of requests,” superintendent Alvin L. Crawley said today in a note to families.

That is about six times higher than a typical day, according to ACPS spokesperson Helen Lloyd.

“This is not a political statement. This is not a political decision,” she says. “It’s a matter of safety and a matter of our ability to deliver instruction.”

Inspired by striking Yemeni bodega owners in New York and the Day Without Immigrants, organizers of the Women’s March called for the strike.

“Let’s raise our voices together again, to say that women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, sexual identity, gender expression, economic status, age or disability,” organizers said in announcing the strike’s details. They are calling for people to wear red, refrain from paid and unpaid work, and avoid spending money.

Some teachers and staffers have been vocal about taking the day off to participate, according to Lloyd, while others didn’t give a reason.

“This is not a decision that was made lightly,” Crawley told parents. “The decision is based solely on our ability to provide sufficient staff to cover all our classrooms, and the impact of high staff absenteeism on student safety and delivery of instruction.”

Amid this mild winter, ACPS hasn’t had to use any of the “snow days” built into the calendar to ensure the system meets the minimum number of instruction days, so the strike won’t create issues on that front.

ACPS has been in contact with other jurisdictions about the day, Lloyd says, but “ultimately the decision is ours, because it’s about how students are affected in our school district.”

D.C. Public Schools will stay open on Wednesday, according to spokesperson Janae Hinson. “While some may plan to attend this week’s walk out on International Women’s Day, all students and staff are expected to be in school throughout the day so that teaching and learning can continue,” an emailed statement reads. “We encourage staff and students to use this as an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women through classroom discussion and activities.”

But six charters in D.C., run by Center City Public Charter Schools, will be closed due to a large number of requests off to participate in the strike.

At least one other school system, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, has also canceled classes for the day, also because a “significant” number of teachers who planned to be absent.

This post has been updated with information from DCPS and Center City Public Charter Schools.