Schools closed for students Monday Feb 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

Of course parents want make up days. Why wouldn't we want them? It's our kids losing out on the education we pay for with our taxes. It's the teachers who prefer to have them as additional holidays.
-Why wait til March 20? Why not February 17? I would bet there are fewer students travelling for Presidents day than for spring break.
-April 15 is a Wednesday off in the middle of the week. Most parents hate that.
-June 18 is a useless day. It's too late in the school year to offer meaningful instruction and teachers use it as an excuse to just show videos for a half day. I would much rather have a virtual learning day than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You cannot compare school systems. Some of us cannot safely get to school.

Of course people can get to schools. They just don't went to have to bother with it because it's going to be slightly more difficult.

How? Its a two mile walk and few sidewalks and to get to those its huge mounds, one lane for cars, etc. Busses cannot pass in our neighborhood.

MCPS provides bus service if a student has to walk that far.

If buses can't pass side-by-side, they can figure out how to do so at intersections. The drivers are well-trained and can work it out.

DP. I'm not arguing that MCPS shouldn't be open tomorrow, because they should and it's ridiculous at this point. But come on with the above. The intersections are often WORSE right now because that is where the plows have chosen to leave the giant mounds of ice blocks, leaving no room for maneuvering. And if they meet in the middle of the street, one of the buses should what, reverse a quarter mile down a narrow road, along with the line of cars behind them, while the other bus pursues them from the front? Without hitting anything or anyone? I'm cracking up envisioning this "solution." MCPS buses have also run over and killed 2 students in the last 5 years and that was in normal weather, and they've literally been begging for drivers by hanging "come work for us" signs on a bus parked like a billboard on Hungerford, so I'm not sure where you get that they're well-trained and can work it out. Maybe some.

Not to mention other kids being hit or killed on major an other roads. Busses have a difficult time as it is even with the best drivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

Of course parents want make up days. Why wouldn't we want them? It's our kids losing out on the education we pay for with our taxes. It's the teachers who prefer to have them as additional holidays.
-Why wait til March 20? Why not February 17? I would bet there are fewer students travelling for Presidents day than for spring break.
-April 15 is a Wednesday off in the middle of the week. Most parents hate that.
-June 18 is a useless day. It's too late in the school year to offer meaningful instruction and teachers use it as an excuse to just show videos for a half day. I would much rather have a virtual learning day than that.

I don't want them made up. We have other activities planned. (and not travel, school related). Stop blaming teachers. We could have had school this past week via assignments or virtual. We had one teacher send out assignments via email so clearly it can be done. That teacher put a lot of effort into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

Of course parents want make up days. Why wouldn't we want them? It's our kids losing out on the education we pay for with our taxes. It's the teachers who prefer to have them as additional holidays.
-Why wait til March 20? Why not February 17? I would bet there are fewer students travelling for Presidents day than for spring break.
-April 15 is a Wednesday off in the middle of the week. Most parents hate that.
-June 18 is a useless day. It's too late in the school year to offer meaningful instruction and teachers use it as an excuse to just show videos for a half day. I would much rather have a virtual learning day than that.

Why not use March 30th and 31st? Spring Break can be from April 1st to April 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

Of course parents want make up days. Why wouldn't we want them? It's our kids losing out on the education we pay for with our taxes. It's the teachers who prefer to have them as additional holidays.
-Why wait til March 20? Why not February 17? I would bet there are fewer students travelling for Presidents day than for spring break.
-April 15 is a Wednesday off in the middle of the week. Most parents hate that.
-June 18 is a useless day. It's too late in the school year to offer meaningful instruction and teachers use it as an excuse to just show videos for a half day. I would much rather have a virtual learning day than that.

I don't want them made up. We have other activities planned. (and not travel, school related). Stop blaming teachers. We could have had school this past week via assignments or virtual. We had one teacher send out assignments via email so clearly it can be done. That teacher put a lot of effort into it.

Then you can make up the lessons yourself, just like you seem to expect other parents to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

Of course parents want make up days. Why wouldn't we want them? It's our kids losing out on the education we pay for with our taxes. It's the teachers who prefer to have them as additional holidays.
-Why wait til March 20? Why not February 17? I would bet there are fewer students travelling for Presidents day than for spring break.
-April 15 is a Wednesday off in the middle of the week. Most parents hate that.
-June 18 is a useless day. It's too late in the school year to offer meaningful instruction and teachers use it as an excuse to just show videos for a half day. I would much rather have a virtual learning day than that.

I don't want them made up. We have other activities planned. (and not travel, school related). Stop blaming teachers. We could have had school this past week via assignments or virtual. We had one teacher send out assignments via email so clearly it can be done. That teacher put a lot of effort into it.

here aren't a lot of choices here. You either:
1) Open schools in less than optimal weather conditions (cue the people screaming that we don't care if their child dies slipping on ice and falling into traffic.)
2) Develop a functional virtual learning plan that is contingency for bad weather weeks like this one and use it (Except that MCPS never made a virtual learrning plan that the State of Maryland required, unlike other school districts, and apparently people on this forum say it will take them months to make one up.)
3) Do make up days, recognizing that people have made plans thinking that school is out.
4) Shortchange kids of the 180 days of education required by law and apply to the state of Maryland to get a waiver to miss several days of instruction this year.

I prefer #3, and that BOE requires that MCPS develop #2 starting now, so we don't have this same conversation next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

Three real make-up days is far superior to virtual.

We can't do virtual this year anyway, so it's a moot point. We should modify the calendar next year to build more days in. We should also institute a policy of automatically using the next available contingency day.

If you really want to push for virtual, you should at least come up with a plan that addresses lower elementary, kids in child care, and kids with special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

Three real make-up days is far superior to virtual.

We can't do virtual this year anyway, so it's a moot point. We should modify the calendar next year to build more days in. We should also institute a policy of automatically using the next available contingency day.

If you really want to push for virtual, you should at least come up with a plan that addresses lower elementary, kids in child care, and kids with special needs.

I don't work for MCPS. I am a parent with a job that pays taxes to pay to pay MCPS salaries and for MCPS's $3bn budget. I am not coming up with a plan to address lower elementary, kids in child care and kids with special needs.

But if you really think it's beyond the capabilities of MCPS to come up with such a plan, I'm sure you can copy paste it from the ones that Anne Arundel and Baltimore submitted to the state so they could hold virtual learning last week.

Or I'm sure MCPS could use their Metro Cards and travel to Alexandria public schools and see how they've been doing it for the last three days. Or take the bus to NYC and see how NYC public schools did virtual learning for a school district 10x the size of MCPS.

There's no shortage of examples that MCPS could use. Don't ask us to do the job of paid staffers who were too lazy to submit a virtual learning plan to the State.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

Three real make-up days is far superior to virtual.

We can't do virtual this year anyway, so it's a moot point. We should modify the calendar next year to build more days in. We should also institute a policy of automatically using the next available contingency day.

If you really want to push for virtual, you should at least come up with a plan that addresses lower elementary, kids in child care, and kids with special needs.

I don't work for MCPS. I am a parent with a job that pays taxes to pay to pay MCPS salaries and for MCPS's $3bn budget. I am not coming up with a plan to address lower elementary, kids in child care and kids with special needs.

But if you really think it's beyond the capabilities of MCPS to come up with such a plan, I'm sure you can copy paste it from the ones that Anne Arundel and Baltimore submitted to the state so they could hold virtual learning last week.

Or I'm sure MCPS could use their Metro Cards and travel to Alexandria public schools and see how they've been doing it for the last three days. Or take the bus to NYC and see how NYC public schools did virtual learning for a school district 10x the size of MCPS.

There's no shortage of examples that MCPS could use. Don't ask us to do the job of paid staffers who were too lazy to submit a virtual learning plan to the State.

+1 You say that "only in-person works for all." But that you don't want those in-person days to be the 180 required by law, because you can't find any makeup days to suggest and you'd rather kids just do nothing at all.

And you want people on this forum to make the MCPS plan for Virtual Learning during Weather events even though MCPS has a massive central office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

Three real make-up days is far superior to virtual.

We can't do virtual this year anyway, so it's a moot point. We should modify the calendar next year to build more days in. We should also institute a policy of automatically using the next available contingency day.

If you really want to push for virtual, you should at least come up with a plan that addresses lower elementary, kids in child care, and kids with special needs.

I don't work for MCPS. I am a parent with a job that pays taxes to pay to pay MCPS salaries and for MCPS's $3bn budget. I am not coming up with a plan to address lower elementary, kids in child care and kids with special needs.

But if you really think it's beyond the capabilities of MCPS to come up with such a plan, I'm sure you can copy paste it from the ones that Anne Arundel and Baltimore submitted to the state so they could hold virtual learning last week.

Or I'm sure MCPS could use their Metro Cards and travel to Alexandria public schools and see how they've been doing it for the last three days. Or take the bus to NYC and see how NYC public schools did virtual learning for a school district 10x the size of MCPS.

There's no shortage of examples that MCPS could use. Don't ask us to do the job of paid staffers who were too lazy to submit a virtual learning plan to the State.

Their plans appear to be a repeat of the covid-era plan of "screw 'em."

If you want to push for virtual, you're going to need to come up with something better than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

Three real make-up days is far superior to virtual.

We can't do virtual this year anyway, so it's a moot point. We should modify the calendar next year to build more days in. We should also institute a policy of automatically using the next available contingency day.

If you really want to push for virtual, you should at least come up with a plan that addresses lower elementary, kids in child care, and kids with special needs.

I don't work for MCPS. I am a parent with a job that pays taxes to pay to pay MCPS salaries and for MCPS's $3bn budget. I am not coming up with a plan to address lower elementary, kids in child care and kids with special needs.

But if you really think it's beyond the capabilities of MCPS to come up with such a plan, I'm sure you can copy paste it from the ones that Anne Arundel and Baltimore submitted to the state so they could hold virtual learning last week.

Or I'm sure MCPS could use their Metro Cards and travel to Alexandria public schools and see how they've been doing it for the last three days. Or take the bus to NYC and see how NYC public schools did virtual learning for a school district 10x the size of MCPS.

There's no shortage of examples that MCPS could use. Don't ask us to do the job of paid staffers who were too lazy to submit a virtual learning plan to the State.

+1 You say that "only in-person works for all." But that you don't want those in-person days to be the 180 required by law, because you can't find any makeup days to suggest and you'd rather kids just do nothing at all.

And you want people on this forum to make the MCPS plan for Virtual Learning during Weather events even though MCPS has a massive central office?

We have make up days in the calendar. We just need to use them.

You're the one pushing for virtual. If you think it's such a good idea, then explain how it would work for young kids and students with special needs. Otherwise, why do you think it's such a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very few school districts that are completely closed tomorrow or not doing virtual learning. MCPS should be ashamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/01/school-delays-dc-maryland-virginia-snow-storm/

Alexandria City Public Schools: Virtual learning
Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday.
Arlington County Public Schools: Closed; two-hour delay Tuesday
Calvert County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Charles County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Culpeper County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
D.C. Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fairfax County Public Schools: Closed
Falls Church City Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Fauquier County Public Schools: Closed
Howard County Public Schools: Two-hour delay Monday and Tuesday
Loudoun County Public Schools: Two-hour delay
Montgomery County Public Schools: Closed
Pr. George’s County Public Schools: Two-hour delay; Code Orange
Prince William County Public Schools: Closed
Spotsylvania County Public Schools: Remote learning Monday and Tuesday; 12-month employees to report on time.
Stafford County Public Schools: Closed

Nah, but thanks for posting info we all already knew?

If you already knew this, why are people constantly posting that it's impossible to open or offer virtual learning because of kids with IEPs or equity or snow? Nearly every other school district is open or virtual tomorrow.

BLAME YOURSELF. PARENTS are why MCPS won't pivot to virtual.

Where did parents say they would prefer to have their kids shortchanged with well under the required 180 days instead of having virtual instruction?

Where did parents tell the MCPS central office not to submit a contingency virtual learning plan like so many other Maryland school districts did?

McPS should blame itself for its inability to function..

Parents don't want virtual. They want real school days.

That's what you want. We want our kids to get an education - in person or virtual, but virtual with live teaching.

You wouldn't get it. Not enough students would show up. Even fewer would participate. No new material could be covered.

You don't know that. All we have is last year's example where MCPS added half days in end June and showed videos and few kids showed up because MCPS encouraged them now to show up because "they knew people had already made other plans".

Of course we know kids wouldn't join and participate.

And that's putting aside the fact that no one has come up with a plausible way to either provide special education supports and services during those days, or provide compensatory services after the fact. You just want to forget about those students, just like you did during covid.

We get it. So you'd rather everyone have zero instruction and lose out on instructional time. MCPS can apply for a waiver to offer 177 days of instruction rather than 180, add in some half days in June and encourage parents not to send their kids, and unlike the other DC area schools that were open last week and are open next week, MCPS staff can get some extra days off.

You're not getting virtual. You know that. If you actually cared about instructional time, then you'd pressure the BoE and Taylor to use the contingency days we have. The real ones.

That you're not interested in doing that suggests education is not what's really motivating you.

You have no idea what is motivating an anonymous poster. And no, I don't agree with you that virtual learning is not an option-- my kids did almost a year of virtual learning during the COVID years, and I know MCPS can do it.

I don't work for MCPS, and only learned that MCPS failed to submit a virtual learning plan for approval to the state of Maryland yesterday, unlike many other Maryland schools. MCPS central office could do its job and try to submit it now, because there are two months of winter left and it's probable that there are more snow days.

We know it isn't an option this year. There isn't time to put together a plan and seek public comment. That would take at least a couple of months for a real plan and a meaningful public comment period.

So if education is your priority, you'd be advocating for March 20, April 15, and June 18 make up days. Ideally Presidents' Day too.

But the pp already said the quiet part out loud by admitting she just doesn't want make up days.

I'm not sure what you're babbling about, because there are multiple people posting on this thread, yet you seem to think you're talking to a single person and know their motivations. I am happy to have makeup days. I have read that the teachers union won't allow the makeup days you're suggesting to occur (other than June 18).

I'm also not going to give MCPS a pass for not having a plan for virtual learning after they had that mess with snow days less year. Other Maryland school districts prepared one. Let MCPS start preparing now and seek public comment. It doesn't need to take months if Taylor makes it a priority, which he should because parents are pissed at how incompetently MCPS is being run.

We'll have more snow days before March is out, and MCPS shouldn't continue to act like a teenager who forgot to do their homework.

The union doesn't have to agree to make up days. They're already in the calendar.

No one has even been able to provide a plausible plan for lower elementary or special education. Putting together a plan, even hastily, would take weeks. Another month for public comment and a hearing. That puts us at the end of March. Implementing the plan would also cost money for equipment, supporting services, and compensatory services. We'd also need to make sure those supporting and compensatory services were even available. There simply isn't time.

Real make-up days are the only option for this year.

There was a lengthy thread last week about using the 2 Presidents' days holidays as makeup days, on a different thread, and people who said they were teachers had said they had already made plans to be out of town, and that there was no way they would teach and that the union would never allow it.

Fine with me if they use those make up days. I just don't think it is going to happen, because as one teacher posted "they have Broadway tickets they've paid for, and there's no way they're cancelling their day off."

And putting together a virtual learning plan is something MCPS should be doing anyway, like other school districts, starting now. You may not like virtual learning, but I suspect for weeks like this one, most parents would much rather their =kid get some instruction, than be part of an unfortunate year where MCPS sought a waiver to allow 175 days of instruction, because they couldn't be bothered to do a virtual learning plan.

They can copy paste the virtual learning plan from the ones that Baltimore or Anne Arundel submitted and change the name. It would probably be better written than most of the stuff MCPS produces.

Presidents' Day isn't a contingency day. Between that and the short turnaround time, it would be hard to use it. The union probably could kill it by demanding impact bargaining. The same isn't true of the real contingency days.

I suspect there's a big divide between high school and elementary school families when it comes to virtual. Special education, too. How are kids in child care going to participate in virtual? Neither has a chromebook. At least, not one they're able to bring home.

They can have class during child care - they had pods and other child care during covid. Or, they can make up the work at home with parents or guardians.

This is one of the many reasons virtual was terrible during covid. How do you expect virtual to work with a set 30-50 kids? How parents cover lessons with only a few waking hours left in the day and no lesson plans? How do you expect kids with special needs to learn when their needs aren't being met?

Virtual might work for some, but in-person works for all. You just don't care about everyone else.

Ok, explain to us how we're going to make up four in-person days with the remainder of the school calendar. What makeup days would you use?

Three real make-up days is far superior to virtual.

We can't do virtual this year anyway, so it's a moot point. We should modify the calendar next year to build more days in. We should also institute a policy of automatically using the next available contingency day.

If you really want to push for virtual, you should at least come up with a plan that addresses lower elementary, kids in child care, and kids with special needs.

I don't work for MCPS. I am a parent with a job that pays taxes to pay to pay MCPS salaries and for MCPS's $3bn budget. I am not coming up with a plan to address lower elementary, kids in child care and kids with special needs.

But if you really think it's beyond the capabilities of MCPS to come up with such a plan, I'm sure you can copy paste it from the ones that Anne Arundel and Baltimore submitted to the state so they could hold virtual learning last week.

Or I'm sure MCPS could use their Metro Cards and travel to Alexandria public schools and see how they've been doing it for the last three days. Or take the bus to NYC and see how NYC public schools did virtual learning for a school district 10x the size of MCPS.

There's no shortage of examples that MCPS could use. Don't ask us to do the job of paid staffers who were too lazy to submit a virtual learning plan to the State.

+1 You say that "only in-person works for all." But that you don't want those in-person days to be the 180 required by law, because you can't find any makeup days to suggest and you'd rather kids just do nothing at all.

And you want people on this forum to make the MCPS plan for Virtual Learning during Weather events even though MCPS has a massive central office?

We have make up days in the calendar. We just need to use them.

You're the one pushing for virtual. If you think it's such a good idea, then explain how it would work for young kids and students with special needs. Otherwise, why do you think it's such a good idea?

Sure go ahead and tell us which 4 days you would use. Because all I'm seeing is people here saying we should suck it up and lose a few days of required instruction time, because MCPS can't figure it out.