What about this Friday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We taught virtual for two weeks at my old school in a different district because the air conditioner fell through the roof. I liked it but then again it was no nonsense. We had scheduled zoom times and if i noticed a camera turned off i assigned the kid a zero and booted them from the zoom. If we are going to work from home its going to be just like in the classroom. Have a feeling parents here would flip out

Yeah that wouldn’t work here.

Larla has her camera off for her mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If some schools are still not plowed, how is it equitable to have childcare open for some schools?

Super weird question. It isn't really a question of equity, and even if it was, why does that matter? You think MCPS should force all families to have no childcare just because not 100% of them can?

[Anonymous]

Should only let Title 1 schools open for childcare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We taught virtual for two weeks at my old school in a different district because the air conditioner fell through the roof. I liked it but then again it was no nonsense. We had scheduled zoom times and if i noticed a camera turned off i assigned the kid a zero and booted them from the zoom. If we are going to work from home its going to be just like in the classroom. Have a feeling parents here would flip out

Yeah that wouldn’t work here.

Larla has her camera off for her mental health.

My kids' county required cameras on during the pandemic. Required participation. They had to hold up whiteboards to show answers, discuss, turn their cameras to show their paper and hands (as they wrote), etc. MCPS said we couldn't put that burden on students. It was ridiculous. The reason virtual didn't work for MCPS is because they didn't require it to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Childcare providers should be allowed to open tomorrow, if they can. Next week, maybe pivot to virtual school. This isn't looking good around here. And normally I think the decisions are ridiculous to close but no way a bus could come in my neighborhood. My car barely gets in/out. I don't see that changing any time soon. This ice is really unusual.

They cannot pivot to virtual school, because the state requires a plan to have been approved by the BOE, with a public comment period. I hope they get their act together and get a plan approved next year. Even if they don't use it for one or two days off, it would be good to use it for extended closures. But they can't do that without an approved plan.

What plan do they want? Teachers should just log in, say hi to the kids, show up to 10-15 slides max of new content or review material and do a canvas assignment. What else can you do? Make the classes 30 minutes each with an hour break for lunch. Assign some light hw. And yes I’m a teacher. Education folk love making things overly complicated

Your plan was not going to survive the public comment period in this county. Go back and look at comments in 2020-2021.

How is there no plan? These teachers and kids have been through a pandemic. Should be easy to pivot for something like a closure of more than a week. I hate virtual school but I’m surprised there’s no back up plan for emergencies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Childcare providers should be allowed to open tomorrow, if they can. Next week, maybe pivot to virtual school. This isn't looking good around here. And normally I think the decisions are ridiculous to close but no way a bus could come in my neighborhood. My car barely gets in/out. I don't see that changing any time soon. This ice is really unusual.

They cannot pivot to virtual school, because the state requires a plan to have been approved by the BOE, with a public comment period. I hope they get their act together and get a plan approved next year. Even if they don't use it for one or two days off, it would be good to use it for extended closures. But they can't do that without an approved plan.

What plan do they want? Teachers should just log in, say hi to the kids, show up to 10-15 slides max of new content or review material and do a canvas assignment. What else can you do? Make the classes 30 minutes each with an hour break for lunch. Assign some light hw. And yes I’m a teacher. Education folk love making things overly complicated

As an example, here is the Garrett County approved plan for this year.

https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/5542/Gcps/336f867a-9c52-46b4-b516-4fdfb3250c5d/GCPS_Virtual_Day_Plan_2025-2026.pdf?disposition=inline

I think MCPS should be able to develop some kind of credible virtual plan like this, and if the public comment rejects it, well, they tried. But also Garrett County Public Schools has less than 3500 total students. The logistics of making sure everyone has a device and Wifi connectivity are not at all the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should only let Title 1 schools open for childcare

I think a plan where all resources went to getting Title 1 elementary schools open first, would be great. Instead of clearing the W schools parking lots, those staff could clear school bus stops and walking routes in low income areas. Teachers from across the district could earn extra to come and run fund childcare activities, and students with IEPs, or who receive FARMS or ELL services could have priority for spots. Once that's done, move to clearing the other elementary schools, then Title 1 middle schools, then other middle schools. HS could stay virtual for a few weeks.

I assume all the people on DCUM who are saying "think of the poor children" would approve this plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should only let Title 1 schools open for childcare

I think a plan where all resources went to getting Title 1 elementary schools open first, would be great. Instead of clearing the W schools parking lots, those staff could clear school bus stops and walking routes in low income areas. Teachers from across the district could earn extra to come and run fund childcare activities, and students with IEPs, or who receive FARMS or ELL services could have priority for spots. Once that's done, move to clearing the other elementary schools, then Title 1 middle schools, then other middle schools. HS could stay virtual for a few weeks.

I assume all the people on DCUM who are saying "think of the poor children" would approve this plan.

A new “w” mom here. Sounds good to me. Open them for childcare on rolling basis, whatever works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Childcare providers should be allowed to open tomorrow, if they can. Next week, maybe pivot to virtual school. This isn't looking good around here. And normally I think the decisions are ridiculous to close but no way a bus could come in my neighborhood. My car barely gets in/out. I don't see that changing any time soon. This ice is really unusual.

They cannot pivot to virtual school, because the state requires a plan to have been approved by the BOE, with a public comment period. I hope they get their act together and get a plan approved next year. Even if they don't use it for one or two days off, it would be good to use it for extended closures. But they can't do that without an approved plan.

What plan do they want? Teachers should just log in, say hi to the kids, show up to 10-15 slides max of new content or review material and do a canvas assignment. What else can you do? Make the classes 30 minutes each with an hour break for lunch. Assign some light hw. And yes I’m a teacher. Education folk love making things overly complicated

Your plan was not going to survive the public comment period in this county. Go back and look at comments in 2020-2021.

How is there no plan? These teachers and kids have been through a pandemic. Should be easy to pivot for something like a closure of more than a week. I hate virtual school but I’m surprised there’s no back up plan for emergencies.

Anne Arundel and Baltimore County both have virtual learning going on today and tomorrow. Somehow they were competent enough to survive public comments.

Alexandria started virtual school yesterday and also is doing food distribution for needy kids.

DCPS had asynchronous virtual learning yesterday and is in person today.

Not every school district is as poor as planning for weather as McPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Even Charles county is closed tomorrow. Mcps is not opening. I bet we won’t open til Tuesday.

What will make Tuesday different from Monday?

Tuesday is the first day it’s above freezing.

Sounds like we should give Friday through Tuesday to finish clearing.

Why Tuesday? Why not wait until we can see grass again? You people are ridiculous. If schools aren't open Monday, it's a colossal failure.

I’d rather MCPS be a colossal failure in the eyes of some random internet poster than unnecessarily risk the safety of children by asking them to climb 3 foot ice barriers to cross streets.

Governments are supposed to help keep us safe. Not just provide free child care at all cost.

If you want to be closed simply because it’s cold, the school year needs to start in early August so MCPS can build in two weeks of snow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely need to rethink their stance on virtual learning. I’m guessing the equity warriors in central office shut down any discussion of virtual learning because there will always be a few kids who can’t access it. But sometimes it’s important to go with the needs of the majority rather than a few

The vast majority can do make-up days. Most people can't afford your fancy vacations over summer and breaks.

Virtual is not an appropriate solution.

Gotta love the idiots on here going after people who have the audacity to take vacations during the summer!

Don't schedule a vacation on school calendar make-up days that we all knew we'd have to use. It isn't complicated.

Tell me, since you seem to want to control what I do with my time, how long should I wait to know if we're going to use June 22-25? You do know beach places book up early, right? Or is that a fancy vacation we're not allowed to have?

You don't know in advance for certain, although you know there's a good chance they will be. In particular, this year you knew the chance was very high, since we only have one built-in extra day.

So when you book your vacation, don't pick that week!

Oh and don’t pick the weeks they usually have for summer school. Oh wait, oops they changed those too this year. And don’t book the weeks for early sports and marching band practice. Oh and that leaves everyone vacationing one single week right before July 4. Are we allowed to travel that week, bossy?

Sometimes schedules don't allow week-long vacations. Or sometimes people have to pay extra or have more limited options because their schedules aren't known in advance. That's life.

Again, this year it is particularly ridiculous because the nature of the school calendar strongly implied from the start that we'd be going into that week. But I'll be supportive of any attempt to pressure the superintendent into using the earlier days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Childcare providers should be allowed to open tomorrow, if they can. Next week, maybe pivot to virtual school. This isn't looking good around here. And normally I think the decisions are ridiculous to close but no way a bus could come in my neighborhood. My car barely gets in/out. I don't see that changing any time soon. This ice is really unusual.

They cannot pivot to virtual school, because the state requires a plan to have been approved by the BOE, with a public comment period. I hope they get their act together and get a plan approved next year. Even if they don't use it for one or two days off, it would be good to use it for extended closures. But they can't do that without an approved plan.

What plan do they want? Teachers should just log in, say hi to the kids, show up to 10-15 slides max of new content or review material and do a canvas assignment. What else can you do? Make the classes 30 minutes each with an hour break for lunch. Assign some light hw. And yes I’m a teacher. Education folk love making things overly complicated

Your plan was not going to survive the public comment period in this county. Go back and look at comments in 2020-2021.

How is there no plan? These teachers and kids have been through a pandemic. Should be easy to pivot for something like a closure of more than a week. I hate virtual school but I’m surprised there’s no back up plan for emergencies.

Anne Arundel and Baltimore County both have virtual learning going on today and tomorrow. Somehow they were competent enough to survive public comments.

Alexandria started virtual school yesterday and also is doing food distribution for needy kids.

DCPS had asynchronous virtual learning yesterday and is in person today.

Not every school district is as poor as planning for weather as McPS.

Before you point to them as success stories, let's see how things go. I bet their "virtual learning" days are jokes. Many kids won't join. Fewer will participate. Younger kids may be left out entirely. And kids with special needs will be conveniently ignored.

[Anonymous]

You are not talking about equity. Giving everyone the same thing is NOT EQUITY. It may be more fair in some cases but stop pretending it is tantamount to fixing racial disparities. GMAFB and PLEASE use a dictionary before using the word "equity" and tell your friends to do so as well.

As far as child care goes, these programs cost hundreds of dollars a month and some have limited capacity. They also do not serve families that need care during nontraditional hours and those families are disproportionately Black and Brown. These programs are inherently inequitable like so many other things but serve a societal good by keeping kids safe and making it possible for more people to go to work and earn income. Keeping child care closed could mean some children are less safe because their parents can't access proper child care. They are also less likely to be on screens all day, and their parents lose income. Why on earth ANYONE would think it is a better choice to force them all to stay closed just because they all can't open is beyond me. To use the term "equity" to justify such a choice is unbelievably stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should only let Title 1 schools open for childcare

I think a plan where all resources went to getting Title 1 elementary schools open first, would be great. Instead of clearing the W schools parking lots, those staff could clear school bus stops and walking routes in low income areas. Teachers from across the district could earn extra to come and run fund childcare activities, and students with IEPs, or who receive FARMS or ELL services could have priority for spots. Once that's done, move to clearing the other elementary schools, then Title 1 middle schools, then other middle schools. HS could stay virtual for a few weeks.

I assume all the people on DCUM who are saying "think of the poor children" would approve this plan.

Why would it take a few weeks to open high schools? Your plan might allow some schools to open a day or two sooner. Maybe. If it would, that could be a good idea.

Though, you still need to hurry up with snow removal for classes to resume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seals the deal - no school Friday, and probably not on Monday if notices aren't going out until then.

UPDATE: Sidewalk snow-clearing enforcement paused until Mon, Feb 2.
Due to sustained freezing temps, snow-packed sidewalks have become icy and unreasonably difficult to clear. In some cases, plowing also contributed to accumulation. Because of what we’re seeing and hearing from residents, Montgomery County has paused enforcement of sidewalk clearing requirements and won’t issue notices of violation until Monday, February 2. Although enforcement is paused, property owners should help their neighbors by clearing sidewalks as soon as it is safe and possible to do so, prioritizing entrances, exits, and accessible routes. Take interim safety measures like applying traction aids where necessary.
Our shared goal is the health and safety of all residents. Please check on older adults and others who may need help.
Montgomery County, MD - Department of Housing and Community Affairs
Montgomery County en Español

So they want elderly neighbors to help neighbors clear out ICeY pavement injuring themselves whereas the county supposedly have contracts with COMPANIES with EQUIPMENT. A BIG F FU to this CountyCouncil for failing to do their JOB. Vote each of them and their staff out. Where is the F leadership in this county?

No I think they want able bodied young neighbors to help the elderly! Once your own sidewalk is clear, if you still have strength and haven't broken your shovel, just walk down the block and help your neighbor.

They can pay back the residents the $ they earn then. Get the F equipment and get your people out there doing the job. Embarrassing for the largest school district in MD.