MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ida.pdf

Maryland passed something allowing Feb 16 specifically this year because of a lack of makeup days

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am failing to see why this is such a big deal. Students will be given an excused absence. Staff cannot be denied leave for a religious observance. Is the percentage of Muslim staff high enough that the system can’t function if they all take leave that day?

m
No, because Muslims will be pressured to not take the day off for celebration because making up a day of work is a lot of effort and disadvantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ida.pdf

Laws can be changed

MSDE approved letting districts open on President's Day this year already because of the snow. It was an option, just one MCPS chose not to use.

MCPS once opened on Easter Monday as a make up day too. Might have been 10 years ago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ida.pdf

Laws can be changed

MSDE approved letting districts open on President's Day this year already because of the snow. It was an option, just one MCPS chose not to use.

MCPS once opened on Easter Monday as a make up day too. Might have been 10 years ago?

I doubt it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ida.pdf

Laws can be changed

MSDE approved letting districts open on President's Day this year already because of the snow. It was an option, just one MCPS chose not to use.

MCPS once opened on Easter Monday as a make up day too. Might have been 10 years ago?

My kiddo is a senior in college and I recall this happening when they were in about 4th grade. So 12 years ago, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Yeah back in the 90s I am almost certain we lost days of Spring Break that were likely Good Friday or Easter Monday

[Anonymous]

We booked tickets for spring break. I'm assuming that teachers and their families also booked. Why are people clamoring to take that away from the kids?

Everyone needs periods of rest and relaxation.

Who are these people who want to take away spring break? If that's you..... That's really scary and you need to re-evaluate your thinking and how it's harming your mental health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We booked tickets for spring break. I'm assuming that teachers and their families also booked. Why are people clamoring to take that away from the kids?

Everyone needs periods of rest and relaxation.

Who are these people who want to take away spring break? If that's you..... That's really scary and you need to re-evaluate your thinking and how it's harming your mental health.

It's hard enough to have only 1 weeklong break in 5.5 months but going that long with no such break is INSANE! I'm not sure how people survive in PA schools (along with some MD and NJ schools) who don't have a real spring break!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am failing to see why this is such a big deal. Students will be given an excused absence. Staff cannot be denied leave for a religious observance. Is the percentage of Muslim staff high enough that the system can’t function if they all take leave that day?

m
No, because Muslims will be pressured to not take the day off for celebration because making up a day of work is a lot of effort and disadvantage.

Require all work given that day to not be due for a week. Just think of being absent because your sick only the reason is for celebrating your holiday instead of being sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We booked tickets for spring break. I'm assuming that teachers and their families also booked. Why are people clamoring to take that away from the kids?

Everyone needs periods of rest and relaxation.

Who are these people who want to take away spring break? If that's you..... That's really scary and you need to re-evaluate your thinking and how it's harming your mental health.

I don’t think any normal people want to take away spring break — only a few people on dcum obsessed with making MCPS “do its job.” Oh and I guess Good Friday is also a target for people who want to eliminate the Christian holidays.

My school system lost most of spring break in 2003 and it was awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We booked tickets for spring break. I'm assuming that teachers and their families also booked. Why are people clamoring to take that away from the kids?

Everyone needs periods of rest and relaxation.

Who are these people who want to take away spring break? If that's you..... That's really scary and you need to re-evaluate your thinking and how it's harming your mental health.

I don’t think any normal people want to take away spring break — only a few people on dcum obsessed with making MCPS “do its job.” Oh and I guess Good Friday is also a target for people who want to eliminate the Christian holidays.

My school system lost most of spring break in 2003 and it was awful.

I don't want to take away all of spring break but I would love to take away the Monday after Easter if I could. No reason it has to be a week plus one day rather than just a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We booked tickets for spring break. I'm assuming that teachers and their families also booked. Why are people clamoring to take that away from the kids?

Everyone needs periods of rest and relaxation.

Who are these people who want to take away spring break? If that's you..... That's really scary and you need to re-evaluate your thinking and how it's harming your mental health.

I don’t think any normal people want to take away spring break — only a few people on dcum obsessed with making MCPS “do its job.” Oh and I guess Good Friday is also a target for people who want to eliminate the Christian holidays.

My school system lost most of spring break in 2003 and it was awful.

I don't want to take away all of spring break but I would love to take away the Monday after Easter if I could. No reason it has to be a week plus one day rather than just a week.

I wouldn’t miss Easter Monday but I wonder how many teachers’ planned travel it would disrupt at this stage, for this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We booked tickets for spring break. I'm assuming that teachers and their families also booked. Why are people clamoring to take that away from the kids?

Everyone needs periods of rest and relaxation.

Who are these people who want to take away spring break? If that's you..... That's really scary and you need to re-evaluate your thinking and how it's harming your mental health.

I don’t think any normal people want to take away spring break — only a few people on dcum obsessed with making MCPS “do its job.” Oh and I guess Good Friday is also a target for people who want to eliminate the Christian holidays.

My school system lost most of spring break in 2003 and it was awful.

I don't want to take away all of spring break but I would love to take away the Monday after Easter if I could. No reason it has to be a week plus one day rather than just a week.

I wouldn’t miss Easter Monday but I wonder how many teachers’ planned travel it would disrupt at this stage, for this year.

Likely, but many use that Monday as a catch up on laundry, shopping, etc after flying back on Sunday Monday can be an expensive day to fly with biz travelers).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How feasible would it be to pivot snow days to virtual professional learning for teachers?

That would not really gain you anything. The pushback isn't that teachers are getting less professional days, it's having school on a holiday that was designed to overlap with the professional day. (And then the other possible makeup days are teacher grading days which there is generally pushback on taking away, but those happen at specific times between marking periods.)

Teachers can catch up on grading on snow days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How feasible would it be to pivot snow days to virtual professional learning for teachers?

That would not really gain you anything. The pushback isn't that teachers are getting less professional days, it's having school on a holiday that was designed to overlap with the professional day. (And then the other possible makeup days are teacher grading days which there is generally pushback on taking away, but those happen at specific times between marking periods.)

Teachers can catch up on grading on snow days.

That's like telling kids to use snow days to catch up on homework that hasn't been assigned yet and requires knowledge of content that hasn't yet been taught