I mean, they're incredibly specific about it needing to be at the end of the year? If they just meant adding 3 days sometime in the year, they would say that. But instead they say "The local school system has modified its calendar by scheduling school on the make-up days provided in the original calendar and by extending the school year 3 days beyond the previously scheduled closing date." |
You're not wrong that the language is poor, but I'm sure you know that's not what they meant. |
No, most counties smartly did not. They have make-up days instead. |
I'm not that poster, but I'm not so sure. I think they meant exactly what they wrote. It's the sort of thing I expect from MSDE - poorly thought out regulations with nonsensically specific parameters that take away autonomy, yet somehow are also vague enough to cause confusion - I see it all the time working in the school system whenever we have to do something required by the state |
So your theory is that the phrase "3 days beyond the previously scheduled closing date" means... what? What else could it possibly mean besides taking the previously scheduled closing date (June 17) and extending the school year 3 days beyond that? |
No need to apologize. MCPS doesn't really care, teachers are totally fine having less kids in class and it's just all for show. |
They mean three days more than the previous calendar had by the closing date. No, it doesn't say that, but that's clearly that they meant. They're just awful at writing. |
... but the revised calendar will always have less days than the original calendar, not more? The original calendar would have 180 days at minimum, and the whole point of asking for a waiver is to avoid having to make up the full 180 days. Under your interpretation, schools would need to have 183+ days of school before asking for a waiver so as to not need to complete the full 180 days. That doesn't make any sense. |
| Is there a risk that MCPS will use days over Spring Break? |
I think the risk is very low but not zero. This situation is unprecedented where we have used so many snow days already, so few built in snow days, no option for virtual, so many calendar-identified “make up” days that are fraught a bit if we try to actually use them, and some recent precedent of the state denying waivers. In every other year we had better options. I would personally use pretty much every other option before touching spring break. You lose a lot of trust if you publish a calendar with identified make up days and then decide to use different days with minimal notice (Spring Break is in less than 2 months), when many students and staff should be able to count on being making plans without consequence. |
| What is April 15 and March 20? I don’t think they will have school on Presidents Day, but maybe pull back Feb 17? |
Right, most kids won’t attend so it’s pointless. Plus there’s minimal instruction after Memorial Day anyway. My HS kid is starting a camp counselor position so won’t go either. |
Ok? My friend in Annapolis has kids on virtual learning for two days this week |
March 20 is a professional development day and April 15 is a grading and planning day. Both are designated as possible makeup days on the calendar. |
March 20th is Eid Al-Fitr. It is a professional development day for teachers. Both days are planning. April 15 is a grading and planning day for teachers. Both are marked as potential make-up days. |