Earlier start date proposed for MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the November meeting MCPS stated that they weren't proposing an earlier start date for this coming fall because that wouldn't be enough notice and bc they just changed the bell times it would be too much change at once. And then a month later they propose to change the start date...

November isn't enough notice, but December is plenty.

[Anonymous]

It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the November meeting MCPS stated that they weren't proposing an earlier start date for this coming fall because that wouldn't be enough notice and bc they just changed the bell times it would be too much change at once. And then a month later they propose to change the start date...

November isn't enough notice, but December is plenty.

I just wrote to the board expressing my opposition to the changes and specifically pointing this out. MCPS listed several reasons in the original draft calendar proposal from November (this one that didn't have sept 12 as a holiday -- http://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/A3VPJ4592AA1/$file/2016-2017%20Sch%20Calendar.pdf) as to why it wasn't a good idea to start early. I referenced this in my email to the board, and hope they will take that into consideration.

I wish they would reduce pre-service week by a day (Tuesday to Friday) but not add in another instructional day. That would not be great for teachers at the beginning of the year, but might be the best option, and they would still have 183 school days, which is more than required by the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I just wrote to the board expressing my opposition to the changes and specifically pointing this out. MCPS listed several reasons in the original draft calendar proposal from November (this one that didn't have sept 12 as a holiday -- http://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/A3VPJ4592AA1/$file/2016-2017%20Sch%20Calendar.pdf) as to why it wasn't a good idea to start early. I referenced this in my email to the board, and hope they will take that into consideration.

I wish they would reduce pre-service week by a day (Tuesday to Friday) but not add in another instructional day. That would not be great for teachers at the beginning of the year, but might be the best option, and they would still have 183 school days, which is more than required by the state.

And then there will be 4 weather-related closures, and we can go through the whole waiver/contingency calendar/snow day soap opera. What fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I just wrote to the board expressing my opposition to the changes and specifically pointing this out. MCPS listed several reasons in the original draft calendar proposal from November (this one that didn't have sept 12 as a holiday -- http://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/A3VPJ4592AA1/$file/2016-2017%20Sch%20Calendar.pdf) as to why it wasn't a good idea to start early. I referenced this in my email to the board, and hope they will take that into consideration.

I wish they would reduce pre-service week by a day (Tuesday to Friday) but not add in another instructional day. That would not be great for teachers at the beginning of the year, but might be the best option, and they would still have 183 school days, which is more than required by the state.

And then there will be 4 weather-related closures, and we can go through the whole waiver/contingency calendar/snow day soap opera. What fun!

True, but at least we should already know not to make big plans for the first week of summer, since snow makeup days are a possibility every year. The proposed change to August is new and unexpected without a lot of notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

But starting school on a Friday is clearly not the only solution. They've come up with something pretty annoying that's making people resent the holiday rather than the actual issue (kind of like how people blamed the removal of all the holidays on the Muslim request for inclusion last year).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

Of course it makes sense! That's when Eid al-Adha is in 2016. What wouldn't make sense is taking a day off in December or April for a holiday that's in September.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

Of course it makes sense! That's when Eid al-Adha is in 2016. What wouldn't make sense is taking a day off in December or April for a holiday that's in September.

The BOE has a stated policy of not closing on religious holidays. It doesn't matter when the holiday falls when there are so few celebrators in this county. If I lived in Dearborn, MI-where about 60% of the population celebrates the holiday-it would make sense. Here, no. This is BOE political correctness run amuk as usual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

Of course it makes sense! That's when Eid al-Adha is in 2016. What wouldn't make sense is taking a day off in December or April for a holiday that's in September.

The BOE has a stated policy of not closing on religious holidays. It doesn't matter when the holiday falls when there are so few celebrators in this county. If I lived in Dearborn, MI-where about 60% of the population celebrates the holiday-it would make sense. Here, no. This is BOE political correctness run amuk as usual.

lol right. that's why we're closed on Rosh Hoshanah, Yom Kippur, Christmas, and Easter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

But starting school on a Friday is clearly not the only solution. They've come up with something pretty annoying that's making people resent the holiday rather than the actual issue (kind of like how people blamed the removal of all the holidays on the Muslim request for inclusion last year).

Bowers has to make the school closure useful since the BOE decided to operate in direct opposition with its policy of NOT CLOSING ON RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The BOE has a stated policy of not closing on religious holidays. It doesn't matter when the holiday falls when there are so few celebrators in this county. If I lived in Dearborn, MI-where about 60% of the population celebrates the holiday-it would make sense. Here, no. This is BOE political correctness run amuk as usual.

Where does the BoE state this policy? If the BoE does have this policy, then it is clearly nonsense, given that MCPS is always closed for Christmas, per state law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

lol right. that's why we're closed on Rosh Hoshanah, Yom Kippur, Christmas, and Easter.

Well, strictly speaking, we're closed for (Western) Easter because it's a Sunday. On the other hand, Sundays are a religious holiday. And we're also closed for (Western) Good Friday (a religious holiday) and the day after (Western) Easter (which is not itself a religious holiday, but this is a closure due to a religious holiday).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me that closing for one group's religious holiday results in such a significant change to the calendar, particularly given that it appears the Muslim population in Montgomery County is only a bit over 1% of the total population.

I don't think that Eid al-Adha has any magic calendar-disrupting properties. Unless you think that, if the BoE had added a different day to the calendar that was not a Muslim holiday, all would have gone smoothly?

Taking another day off in September makes no sense, and it's being done specifically to cater to a tiny segment of the population. What part of that are you having difficulty understanding?

Of course it makes sense! That's when Eid al-Adha is in 2016. What wouldn't make sense is taking a day off in December or April for a holiday that's in September.

The BOE has a stated policy of not closing on religious holidays. It doesn't matter when the holiday falls when there are so few celebrators in this county. If I lived in Dearborn, MI-where about 60% of the population celebrates the holiday-it would make sense. Here, no. This is BOE political correctness run amuk as usual.

lol right. that's why we're closed on Rosh Hoshanah, Yom Kippur, Christmas, and Easter.

No, we're closed on those days because large segments of the population celebrate them. Jewish schools have more time off around the major Jewish holidays than MCPS BTW.