Parent Home

Leaves and Day Passes

Major Leaves

There are three Major Leaves during the school year at Fork Union Military Academy:

  • Thanksgiving
  • Christmas
  • Spring Break
  • End of Year Departure

These major leaves are mandatory for all cadets. Adult supervision is not available on campus and the campus is closed to students during those times.

Regular Leaves

Certain weekends throughout the school year may be designated as Regular Leave weekends by the Commandant. Cadets who are performing satisfactorily in the classroom, and who are not subject to any conduct restrictions or who do not have athletic or other commitments and obligations to fulfill, are eligible to take these weekend leaves.

Day Passes

Day passes are available on Saturday from 0930–2100 hours or Sunday from 1000–1900 hours. Cadets must sign out with a person over 21 years of age and approved by the cadet's parent/guardian. Cadets must leave and return in the proper uniform approved by the Commandant for this purpose. Parents/Guardians must complete the request for day pass within the Orah platform in accordance with the policies then in place by the Commandant's Department. Cadets who have tours of extra duty to serve or are otherwise restricted to campus are not eligible for a day pass. 

 

A happy mother and cadet prepare for leave departure.
A happy cadet and mother prepare for leave departure

Other Types of Leave

Open Leave

Certain weekend leaves may be designated as an open leave, for which all cadets are eligible regardless of conduct restrictions or other factors. These open leaves may include Parents Weekend, Winter Weekend, Easter, and Mother's Day Weekend.

Earned Weekend Leave

The Commandant may schedule specific leave weekends such as Exemplary Conduct, Winning Company, and Academic leaves for cadets meriting this benefit.

College Leave

Seniors are authorized two college visits during the school year. Juniors are authorized one college "open house" visit. All college leaves are initiated by the College Placement and Academic Services Department and must be approved by the Academic Dean and the cadet's teacher.

Medical and Emergency Leave

Leave may be granted to cadets in certain circumstances related to severe illness, or the death of a member of the cadet's immediate family. All routine medical and dental appointments should be planned for regularly scheduled leaves only.

Transportation

Parents/Guardians are responsible for coordinating cadet travel plans for major leaves and arranging shuttle and private hire transportation, if needed, for major leaves and end of the school year departures. Coordination can be arranged with our Commandant's Department. 

Travel plans are communicated through our Orah online platform. You may contact us with any travel-related questions by email to .

Fork Union Military Academy offers transportation options for cadets traveling to and from airports (IAD, CHO, DCA, and RIC) and Amtrak (CVS and RMR) on major leaves only.

  • We offer shuttle transportation, typically by 14-passenger mini-buses, for our mandatory leaves (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, and End of the Year Departure).
  • At other times, and to certain other locations, we can offer private hire transportation.

Travel for cadets may require that you make arrangements for an escort to accompany your cadet if he is considered an "unaccompanied minor" based on the policies of your chosen transportation provider. Read more about our Unaccompanied Minors Escort Service below.

Cadets on shuttle bus

Special Requirements for Unaccompanied Minors

What is an Unaccompanied Minor?

Cadets traveling by airline without their parents may be considered "unaccompanied minors" depending on their age and may require an adult chaperone to accompany him to and from the gate of their public transportation. The individual airlines each have their own policy as to the age at which a child is considered an "unaccompanied minor," requiring that they be chaperoned by an adult.

Transportation Services for an Unaccompanied Minor

Unaccompanied minors must depart and arrive only from the Lynchburg VA Airport (LYH). We are unable to provide transportation services for unaccoompanied minors to or from any other location than the Lynchburg VA Airport (LYH).

Cost of Chaperone Services for Unaccompanied Minor

If your cadet is an unaccompanied minor requiring an adult chaperone, an additional $34 will be added to the cost of transportation. 

TSA PreCheck

Unaccompanied minors must obtain TSA PreCheck to allow for a trouble-free pick-up and drop-off experience.

Advance Notice Required for Chaperone Service

Please email at least 21 days prior to departure/arrival time of an unaccompanied minor so that arrangements can be made to provide chaperone service.

 

Shuttle Transportation for Leaves

Departing Campus:

Fork Union Military Academy has shuttle transportation to the below locations. The shuttle is scheduled to depart campus at 1:00 PM on the departure day for leaves, and should typically arrive at the below locations in time for train or flight departure times of 4:00 PM and later.  

Requests for shuttle transportation must be made 2 weeks prior to the transportation date.

  • Richmond VA AMTRAK (RVR) 
  • Richmond VA Airport (RIC)
  • Lynchburg VA Airport (LYH)

Picking Up Cadets for Return:

Fork Union Military Academy has shuttles scheduled to pick up cadets on the return day of each leave at the following location and time:

  • Richmond VA AMTRAK (RVR) - Shuttle will arrive at 12:00 PM ET and depart at 5:00 PM ET
  • Richmond VA Airport (RIC) - Shuttle will arrive at 12:00 PM ET and depart at 5:00 PM ET
  • Lynchburg VA Airport (LYH) - Shuttle will arrive at 2:00 PM ET and depart at 7:00 PM ET

If you require transportation to other locations, or at earlier/later times, you will need to use Private Hire Transportation. Please be aware that rates for Private Hire Transportation are higher than rates for Shuttle Service.  For more information, please reach out to .

Cost for Shuttle Transportation

The cost for Shuttle Transportation is per use (departure or return).

Location To or FromCost
Richmond VA Amtrak (RVR)$150
Richmond VA Airport (RIC)$150
Lynchburg VA Airport (LYH)$150

Private Hire Transportation to Travel Hubs

Transportation to a location, or at a time, other than available by our regularly-scheduled shuttle transportation, is considered private hire transportation. Private hire transportation is available at the costs stated below. The cost for private hire transportation is per use (departure or return).

Note: The associated costs to Charlottesville, Richmond, and Lynchburg are for 3 hours of service (or 6 hours of service to DCA or IAD). If the trip exceeds this, the rate will increase by $17 per extra hour.

Location To or FromCost
Richmond VA Amtrak Station (RVR)$250
Richmond VA Airport (RIC)$250
Lynchburg VA Airport (LYH)$250
Charlottesville VA Amtrak Station (CVS)$250
Charlottesville VA Airport (CHO)$250
Dulles Airport (IAD)$400
Washington National Airport (DCA)$400
Other DestinationsTBD

Transportation for Medical, Dental, and Othodontist Services

FUMA transportation for routine medical, dental, and orthordontic appointments is available at the costs stated below. 

Please note: The associated costs are for 3 hours of service. If the trip exceeds 3 hours, the rate will then increase to an additional charge of $17 per hour.

LocationTotal Trip Cost
Dr. Panzarella Orthopedics$150.00
Central Virginia Foot and Ankle$150.00
Hamer & Glassick Orthodontics$150.00
Dr. Suzanne Dennis Orthodontics$150.00
Spring Creek Family Dentistry$150.00
UVa Imaging$150.00
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital$150.00
Other DestinationsTBD
cross