Make-up Days

[Anonymous]

What is April 15 and March 20? I don’t think they will have school on Presidents Day, but maybe pull back Feb 17?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will start summer camps on 6/22, so sorry, our ES kids will not attend.

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really hope the State waives some of these days, but in the more recent past, they have not done so.

but other counties in md smartly used virtual learning

No, most counties smartly did not. They have make-up days instead.

Ok? My friend in Annapolis has kids on virtual learning for two days this week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is April 15 and March 20? I don’t think they will have school on Presidents Day, but maybe pull back Feb 17?

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is April 15 and March 20? I don’t think they will have school on Presidents Day, but maybe pull back Feb 17?

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the days listed on the calendar for potential makeup

March 20 (they will avoid because its Eid and they'll cry equity)
April 15
June 18
June 22 - 26 (which is likely what they'll go with... but no one is going to attend particularly since June 19 is Juneteenth and a day off no matter what)

MD also granted waiver for President's Day to be a makeup day potentially.

Ideally I think MCPS should take up MD's offer to do President's Day and also take Lunar New Year so we make up the days on Feb 16 & 17, March 20, and April 15. But it's not going to happen and our kids are all going to just miss out.

The regulation seems to actually put the districts at a disadvantage if they use days within the school year. I agree that making up the days you mentioned is ideal, but it seems that MCPS couldn't qualify for a waiver unless they use three days at the end of the school year.

School was set to end on Wednesday, 6/17.
They could add Thursday, 6/18. (1st additional day)
Friday, 6/19 is Juneteenth, so they can't add that.
They could add Monday, 6/22. (2nd additional day)
They could add Tuesday, 6/23. (3rd additional day).
+This seems to be the requirement to then apply for a waiver of additional days.

Ideally, people should plea with MSDE to allow schools to make up a day on Juneteenth. Then the third day beyond the regular closing date would be a Monday, and the state's language indicates that they can waive the last day if it falls on a Monday.

The requirements are really ridiculous, when clearly it is more productive to make up the days during the year. Why would the state not incentivize districts to make up the days during the school year when attendance can be maximized and students can benefit from them more?

No, we should not advocate to have school on Juneteenth. The political climate is reprehensible and kids aren’t learning actual facts about slavery in schools all around the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Exactly this. I think parents will be really confused if MCPS decides to tack on 3+ days in June instead of using the makeup days, and eating into Spring Break instead of doing that would be incomprehensible.

[Anonymous]

I'm confused by this conversation. The calendar has makeup days included at the bottom of the calendar. "If the school year is disrupted by emergencies and schools are closed three or more days, dates identified as possible
make-up instructional days include: October 17 and November 3, 2025; January 26, March 20, April 15, June 18, June 22,
June 23, June 24, June 25 and June 26, 2026."

Why are people thinking we won't have school on March 20, April 15 and June 18?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused by this conversation. The calendar has makeup days included at the bottom of the calendar. "If the school year is disrupted by emergencies and schools are closed three or more days, dates identified as possible
make-up instructional days include: October 17 and November 3, 2025; January 26, March 20, April 15, June 18, June 22,
June 23, June 24, June 25 and June 26, 2026."

Why are people thinking we won't have school on March 20, April 15 and June 18?

Experience. But we obviously should. Please reach out to the superintendent and BoE to demand full schools days using those contingency days in the calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the days listed on the calendar for potential makeup

March 20 (they will avoid because its Eid and they'll cry equity)
April 15
June 18
June 22 - 26 (which is likely what they'll go with... but no one is going to attend particularly since June 19 is Juneteenth and a day off no matter what)

MD also granted waiver for President's Day to be a makeup day potentially.

Ideally I think MCPS should take up MD's offer to do President's Day and also take Lunar New Year so we make up the days on Feb 16 & 17, March 20, and April 15. But it's not going to happen and our kids are all going to just miss out.

The regulation seems to actually put the districts at a disadvantage if they use days within the school year. I agree that making up the days you mentioned is ideal, but it seems that MCPS couldn't qualify for a waiver unless they use three days at the end of the school year.

School was set to end on Wednesday, 6/17.
They could add Thursday, 6/18. (1st additional day)
Friday, 6/19 is Juneteenth, so they can't add that.
They could add Monday, 6/22. (2nd additional day)
They could add Tuesday, 6/23. (3rd additional day).
+This seems to be the requirement to then apply for a waiver of additional days.

Ideally, people should plea with MSDE to allow schools to make up a day on Juneteenth. Then the third day beyond the regular closing date would be a Monday, and the state's language indicates that they can waive the last day if it falls on a Monday.

The requirements are really ridiculous, when clearly it is more productive to make up the days during the year. Why would the state not incentivize districts to make up the days during the school year when attendance can be maximized and students can benefit from them more?

Schools can use the days in the year. There are three days we can use.

Sure, but the state won't waive any days unless 3 days have already been added to the end of the school year

No they need to use all the makeup days. But schools that have more snow days built into the calendar only need 3 makeup days. MCPS needed more because it only out one in the clanedar.

No waiver for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused by this conversation. The calendar has makeup days included at the bottom of the calendar. "If the school year is disrupted by emergencies and schools are closed three or more days, dates identified as possible
make-up instructional days include: October 17 and November 3, 2025; January 26, March 20, April 15, June 18, June 22,
June 23, June 24, June 25 and June 26, 2026."

Why are people thinking we won't have school on March 20, April 15 and June 18?

Because last year they did not use the identified days that were before the end of the school year and instead chose only to add days to the end of the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the days listed on the calendar for potential makeup

March 20 (they will avoid because its Eid and they'll cry equity)
April 15
June 18
June 22 - 26 (which is likely what they'll go with... but no one is going to attend particularly since June 19 is Juneteenth and a day off no matter what)

MD also granted waiver for President's Day to be a makeup day potentially.

Ideally I think MCPS should take up MD's offer to do President's Day and also take Lunar New Year so we make up the days on Feb 16 & 17, March 20, and April 15. But it's not going to happen and our kids are all going to just miss out.

The regulation seems to actually put the districts at a disadvantage if they use days within the school year. I agree that making up the days you mentioned is ideal, but it seems that MCPS couldn't qualify for a waiver unless they use three days at the end of the school year.

School was set to end on Wednesday, 6/17.
They could add Thursday, 6/18. (1st additional day)
Friday, 6/19 is Juneteenth, so they can't add that.
They could add Monday, 6/22. (2nd additional day)
They could add Tuesday, 6/23. (3rd additional day).
+This seems to be the requirement to then apply for a waiver of additional days.

Ideally, people should plea with MSDE to allow schools to make up a day on Juneteenth. Then the third day beyond the regular closing date would be a Monday, and the state's language indicates that they can waive the last day if it falls on a Monday.

The requirements are really ridiculous, when clearly it is more productive to make up the days during the year. Why would the state not incentivize districts to make up the days during the school year when attendance can be maximized and students can benefit from them more?

Schools can use the days in the year. There are three days we can use.

Sure, but the state won't waive any days unless 3 days have already been added to the end of the school year

No they need to use all the makeup days. But schools that have more snow days built into the calendar only need 3 makeup days. MCPS needed more because it only out one in the clanedar.

No waiver for us.

MCPS has 1 extra day above 180, but there are more make-up days identified in the calendar. We need to extend the year at least three days. Separately, they can (and generally will) waive the 180th day if it falls on a Monday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These are the days listed on the calendar for potential makeup

March 20 (they will avoid because its Eid and they'll cry equity)
April 15
June 18
June 22 - 26 (which is likely what they'll go with... but no one is going to attend particularly since June 19 is Juneteenth and a day off no matter what)

MD also granted waiver for President's Day to be a makeup day potentially.

Ideally I think MCPS should take up MD's offer to do President's Day and also take Lunar New Year so we make up the days on Feb 16 & 17, March 20, and April 15. But it's not going to happen and our kids are all going to just miss out.

The regulation seems to actually put the districts at a disadvantage if they use days within the school year. I agree that making up the days you mentioned is ideal, but it seems that MCPS couldn't qualify for a waiver unless they use three days at the end of the school year.

School was set to end on Wednesday, 6/17.
They could add Thursday, 6/18. (1st additional day)
Friday, 6/19 is Juneteenth, so they can't add that.
They could add Monday, 6/22. (2nd additional day)
They could add Tuesday, 6/23. (3rd additional day).
+This seems to be the requirement to then apply for a waiver of additional days.

Ideally, people should plea with MSDE to allow schools to make up a day on Juneteenth. Then the third day beyond the regular closing date would be a Monday, and the state's language indicates that they can waive the last day if it falls on a Monday.

The requirements are really ridiculous, when clearly it is more productive to make up the days during the year. Why would the state not incentivize districts to make up the days during the school year when attendance can be maximized and students can benefit from them more?

Schools can use the days in the year. There are three days we can use.

Sure, but the state won't waive any days unless 3 days have already been added to the end of the school year

No they need to use all the makeup days. But schools that have more snow days built into the calendar only need 3 makeup days. MCPS needed more because it only out one in the clanedar.

No waiver for us.

Despite the poorly written regulation, (note, it's a MSDE regulation- the statute establishing this authority is more broad), we already know MSDE doesn't interpret (or enforce) this as requiring the make-up days to be added to the end of the year. This happened in 2020, when the three make-up days were added during spring break.

Seriously, it should be obvious to everyone that the best option is to use March 20, April 15, and June 18 seek the authorized waiver. Then we shouldn't need to even extend the year. These should be full days to demonstrate that MCPS is making a good-faith attempt to meet the intent of the law.

[Anonymous]

The above makes the most sense.

[Anonymous]

The last day of school, whenever it is, will be an early release day.