Fayette County cancels school for the remainder of week in wake of winter storm

Fayette County Public Schools has canceled classes for the remainder of the week as Lexington continues digging out from more than 5 inches of snow and ice dropped by Winter Storm Fern.

Public schools students will not report to campus Thursday, Jan. 29 or Friday, Jan. 30. Thursday will be a non-traditional instruction day, with students learning remotely.

Friday will be a traditional snow day.

The district has also canceled after-school activities Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

FCPS has used NTI days Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week — the first NTI days of the school year, though the district has had traditional snow days.

Teachers’ union responds

KY120 United-AFT, a teachers’ union, asked school district officials Tuesday to cancel in-person classes for the rest of the week.

In response to Wednesday’s cancellation notice, the union said by canceling in-person classes, FCPS administration sent a clear message to families and staff that student safety is of the utmost importance. The union also thanked the district for giving families advance notice to plan.

“We applaud district leadership for listening to this request of Fayette AFT members,” the group’s statement reads.

“With temperatures forecasted to plummet to zero degrees in the upcoming days, we continue to ask that employees expected to report to work are allowed flexibility and avoid being assigned duties that require extended exposure to extreme cold,” the statement reads. “Fayette AFT looks forward to continued collaboration with the district, bringing our kids, teachers, staff, and community to the table to have input about clear policy and guidelines.”

The statement said members hope to see students return to classrooms for in-person instruction soon.

This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 2:02 PM.