MCPS updated calendar is insane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the state legislature may change the law to allow / account for hours, not just days and that we may revert to the June 18th as the final day. I guess it all just depends what the general assembly decides in the coming weeks. This way, the COMAR stipulations cited would not automatically apply in the denial.

That would be a terrible legal change. I doubt that would pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By using religious holidays as contingency days, they are setting themselves up for problems. They either need to use non-religious days or plan to go til end of June.

If we only use non-religious days as the contingency plan, it would require using spring break as the contingency days. I am ok with that, but lots of people are not. The bottom line is that there is no way to fit in all the days that everyone wants to have off without going earlier at the start of the year or later at the end of the year. It is time to make some hard decisions for future years.

They could start earlier in the year and add more days into the calendar. And they could use the PD days like the end-of-quarter planning days, although some of these are already contingency days and MCPS refuses to use them too.

+1. Start one week earlier in August and build in an appropriate number of snow days into the calendar, instead of just 1 so we don’t have this calendar chaos and half assed extra half days in June each year.

[Anonymous]

Why on earth didn’t they use April 15? Wouldn’t teachers prefer to teach on this random Wednesday in April than have their work year extend until June 25?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth didn’t they use April 15? Wouldn’t teachers prefer to teach on this random Wednesday in April than have their work year extend until June 25?

And so obnoxious to convert the Eid non-instructional day on March 20 into a makeup day and to not touch April 15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth didn’t they use April 15? Wouldn’t teachers prefer to teach on this random Wednesday in April than have their work year extend until June 25?

And so obnoxious to convert the Eid non-instructional day on March 20 into a makeup day and to not touch April 15.

They needed to do both.

But it looks like this was the plan all along. They knew the waiver would be rejected given they failed to meet the regulatory requirements to seek one. They could have gotten it if they added April 15, which suggests they never really wanted to get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By using religious holidays as contingency days, they are setting themselves up for problems. They either need to use non-religious days or plan to go til end of June.

If we only use non-religious days as the contingency plan, it would require using spring break as the contingency days. I am ok with that, but lots of people are not. The bottom line is that there is no way to fit in all the days that everyone wants to have off without going earlier at the start of the year or later at the end of the year. It is time to make some hard decisions for future years.

They could start earlier in the year and add more days into the calendar. And they could use the PD days like the end-of-quarter planning days, although some of these are already contingency days and MCPS refuses to use them too.

I guarantee the county would be upset if schools opened up while the Agricultural Fair is in session. They invest a TON of money into the fair and the fairgrounds and if everyone is in school they will lose a ton

So what? MCPS is not the county gov't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the state legislature may change the law to allow / account for hours, not just days and that we may revert to the June 18th as the final day. I guess it all just depends what the general assembly decides in the coming weeks. This way, the COMAR stipulations cited would not automatically apply in the denial.

That would be a terrible legal change. I doubt that would pass.

I agree that it would be terrible, but there is a lot of pressure for it to pass this year given all the snow. Call your delegates and senators and urge them to vote no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was an fing state of emergency for 2 if not 3 of those days! Wtf do they expect???

To use the makeup days in the calendar, which MCPS refuses to do.

Exactly - this happened about 10 years ago too. All other counties make up some of the extra days in various ways, show they are trying and get waivers approved. MCPS just requests and does nothing else and gets denied and then complains. It's so embarrassing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By using religious holidays as contingency days, they are setting themselves up for problems. They either need to use non-religious days or plan to go til end of June.

If we only use non-religious days as the contingency plan, it would require using spring break as the contingency days. I am ok with that, but lots of people are not. The bottom line is that there is no way to fit in all the days that everyone wants to have off without going earlier at the start of the year or later at the end of the year. It is time to make some hard decisions for future years.

They could start earlier in the year and add more days into the calendar. And they could use the PD days like the end-of-quarter planning days, although some of these are already contingency days and MCPS refuses to use them too.

+1. Start one week earlier in August and build in an appropriate number of snow days into the calendar, instead of just 1 so we don’t have this calendar chaos and half assed extra half days in June each year.

That is stupid. Literally just stop giving so many snow days off. That Monday off was ridiculous when all other counties in MD went to school. And if they want to keep giving weeks off for inadequate snow removal, or a day off for flurries, they need to have virtual options set up and in place. It's not that hard but MCPS is the most privileged and laziest county in Maryland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By using religious holidays as contingency days, they are setting themselves up for problems. They either need to use non-religious days or plan to go til end of June.

If we only use non-religious days as the contingency plan, it would require using spring break as the contingency days. I am ok with that, but lots of people are not. The bottom line is that there is no way to fit in all the days that everyone wants to have off without going earlier at the start of the year or later at the end of the year. It is time to make some hard decisions for future years.

but the problem is the stupid Maryland state law that Good Friday and Easter Monday MUST be holidays. That literally needs to go away. I am completely against secular public schools using holidays for all of these days off while our summer keeps shrinking. Not using the past Monday and Tuesday off sealed our fate for no waivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth didn’t they use April 15? Wouldn’t teachers prefer to teach on this random Wednesday in April than have their work year extend until June 25?

And so obnoxious to convert the Eid non-instructional day on March 20 into a makeup day and to not touch April 15.

They needed to do both.

But it looks like this was the plan all along. They knew the waiver would be rejected given they failed to meet the regulatory requirements to seek one. They could have gotten it if they added April 15, which suggests they never really wanted to get it.

I agree, but they didn’t add April 15. Which is all the more disrespectful to Muslims, even as MCPS bows down before the power of the teacher’s union to ensure that no child gets any instruction on a Wednesday in April.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By using religious holidays as contingency days, they are setting themselves up for problems. They either need to use non-religious days or plan to go til end of June.

If we only use non-religious days as the contingency plan, it would require using spring break as the contingency days. I am ok with that, but lots of people are not. The bottom line is that there is no way to fit in all the days that everyone wants to have off without going earlier at the start of the year or later at the end of the year. It is time to make some hard decisions for future years.

They could start earlier in the year and add more days into the calendar. And they could use the PD days like the end-of-quarter planning days, although some of these are already contingency days and MCPS refuses to use them too.

+1. Start one week earlier in August and build in an appropriate number of snow days into the calendar, instead of just 1 so we don’t have this calendar chaos and half assed extra half days in June each year.

That is stupid. Literally just stop giving so many snow days off. That Monday off was ridiculous when all other counties in MD went to school. And if they want to keep giving weeks off for inadequate snow removal, or a day off for flurries, they need to have virtual options set up and in place. It's not that hard but MCPS is the most privileged and laziest county in Maryland

There will always be MCPS staffers who howl that someone will DIE if they go to school while there is ice on the ground and that anyone who thinks schools should be open hate their children and want them dead. Better to open a week earlier in August and build in more snow days since the risk tolerance in this district is so low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the state legislature may change the law to allow / account for hours, not just days and that we may revert to the June 18th as the final day. I guess it all just depends what the general assembly decides in the coming weeks. This way, the COMAR stipulations cited would not automatically apply in the denial.

That would be a terrible legal change. I doubt that would pass.

I agree that it would be terrible, but there is a lot of pressure for it to pass this year given all the snow. Call your delegates and senators and urge them to vote no.

Ridiculous, many states allow schools to meet the time requirement with days OR hours. No reason to require both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By using religious holidays as contingency days, they are setting themselves up for problems. They either need to use non-religious days or plan to go til end of June.

If we only use non-religious days as the contingency plan, it would require using spring break as the contingency days. I am ok with that, but lots of people are not. The bottom line is that there is no way to fit in all the days that everyone wants to have off without going earlier at the start of the year or later at the end of the year. It is time to make some hard decisions for future years.

They could start earlier in the year and add more days into the calendar. And they could use the PD days like the end-of-quarter planning days, although some of these are already contingency days and MCPS refuses to use them too.

I guarantee the county would be upset if schools opened up while the Agricultural Fair is in session. They invest a TON of money into the fair and the fairgrounds and if everyone is in school they will lose a ton

So what? MCPS is not the county gov't.

They do not work independently of each other for the most part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the state legislature may change the law to allow / account for hours, not just days and that we may revert to the June 18th as the final day. I guess it all just depends what the general assembly decides in the coming weeks. This way, the COMAR stipulations cited would not automatically apply in the denial.

That would be a terrible legal change. I doubt that would pass.

I agree that it would be terrible, but there is a lot of pressure for it to pass this year given all the snow. Call your delegates and senators and urge them to vote no.

Ridiculous, many states allow schools to meet the time requirement with days OR hours. No reason to require both.

This isn’t happening. McPS students need to go to school 180 days like the rest of students in the country. MCPs needs to build in more than one snow days, submit its long overdue virtual learning plan for snow emergencies to MSDE and do a better job communicating with MDOT about problems with the plowing of schools.