MCPS closing/delaying on Monday?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

You think BCC has the same equipment for snow removal as a high school in Minnesota? I find that hard to believe.

[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:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

You think BCC has the same equipment for snow removal as a high school in Minnesota? I find that hard to believe.

I can't speak for every school in the county, but our elementary school has the same equipment you'd find at a similarly sized elementary school in Minnesota. It doesn't take that long to clear snow and ice with a plow mounted on a lawn tractor and some salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

[Anonymous]

See you Wednesday!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See you Wednesday!

After a two-hour delay!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm calling no school Monday, no school Tuesday, toss up Wednesday, and likely delay Thursday too.

I agree with this.

After last year’s snowfall, some of my neighborhood in Rockville hadn’t been plowed three days later. It’s baffling, but now what I expect for the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

I am, and the roads are often fine even when MCPS closes. Learn to drive. Sometimes that means driving substantially under the speed limit, which seems to be a foreign concept to people here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

You realize many, many people, like doctors, nurses, emergency services employees, government employees, and various infrastructure services employees regularly drive on roads to get to their jobs after, or while, it snows, right? Short of a Snowmeggedon event, people suck it up and deal with with a slow drive to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm calling no school Monday, no school Tuesday, toss up Wednesday, and likely delay Thursday too.

I agree with this.

After last year’s snowfall, some of my neighborhood in Rockville hadn’t been plowed three days later. It’s baffling, but now what I expect for the area.

We didn't get any snowfalls last year that required plowing to make the roads passable.

[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:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

The building services staff at my school consists of five people…3 women and 2 men. They are all in their mid to late fifties. They are the best building services staff around. Our building is always impeccably clean and problems are addressed immediately. When we’ve had snow in the past, our building services staff is always outside with shovels in the parking lot, trying to make it as clear as possible and allow for as many parking spaces as possible. We have more staff than available spots in the lot, so staff who arrive later need to park in the neighborhood and walk to the school. This will be a problem with a lot of snow.

I am also in my mid fifties and know I would have difficulty clearing all the sidewalks and walkways around the school. It takes longer than you think to properly clear all the areas after snow.

And yet, once you look out of the DMV, public schools handle this fine.

Can you imagine schools in Minnesota or upstate New York having to close for two days anytime they have snow? And no, they don't have much larger building services staff.

Well yeah bc they are used to large amounts of snow and removing it more frequently. This doesn’t happen often in the county, hence, more closures

So talk to those schools and find out how they manage with similar levels of staff.

It basically comes down to getting to school earlier in the morning, and mechanical devices when possible.

It boggles my mind how stupid some people in the county are when it comes to snow. On at least a couple occasions I've seen a building
services staff member painfully slowly attempting to shovel a wide sidewalk while working next an unused snowblower and lawn tractor with plow.

A lot of our problems don't seem to be the result of insufficient resources, but rather incredibly poor resource management, training, and procedures.

I would bet in snow heavy parts of the country they have the equipment already purchased and available to make snow removal easy. That would not be a priority expense for school districts in this area hence more snow days when we actually(rarely) get snow…
It isn’t that big of a deal. Move to the south if you want zero snow days.

MCPS does have the equipment. At least, I know our local school has it. They just don't use it for some reason. And according to this thread, they don't even have building services staff come in early to clear snow.

You think BCC has the same equipment for snow removal as a high school in Minnesota? I find that hard to believe.

I can't speak for every school in the county, but our elementary school has the same equipment you'd find at a similarly sized elementary school in Minnesota. It doesn't take that long to clear snow and ice with a plow mounted on a lawn tractor and some salt.

Every mcps ES has its own plow?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

You realize many, many people, like doctors, nurses, emergency services employees, government employees, and various infrastructure services employees regularly drive on roads to get to their jobs after, or while, it snows, right? Short of a Snowmeggedon event, people suck it up and deal with with a slow drive to work.

And isn’t that a heck of a lot easier when everybody else stays off the bad roads?

I have to go to work in snow. I’m grateful m so many others stay home so I can get where I need to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

You realize many, many people, like doctors, nurses, emergency services employees, government employees, and various infrastructure services employees regularly drive on roads to get to their jobs after, or while, it snows, right? Short of a Snowmeggedon event, people suck it up and deal with with a slow drive to work.

And isn’t that a heck of a lot easier when everybody else stays off the bad roads?

I have to go to work in snow. I’m grateful m so many others stay home so I can get where I need to be.

Yes, and so you and road and building crews can go in early to get roads, parking lots and sidewalks cleared, and then let things open up. This isn't hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

You realize many, many people, like doctors, nurses, emergency services employees, government employees, and various infrastructure services employees regularly drive on roads to get to their jobs after, or while, it snows, right? Short of a Snowmeggedon event, people suck it up and deal with with a slow drive to work.

And isn’t that a heck of a lot easier when everybody else stays off the bad roads?

I have to go to work in snow. I’m grateful m so many others stay home so I can get where I need to be.

Yes, and so you and road and building crews can go in early to get roads, parking lots and sidewalks cleared, and then let things open up. This isn't hard.

me me me me me me me. Everyone should cater to me.

[Anonymous]

Okay place your bets now, over under how many days will MCPS be shut down because of this storm?

[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:I wouldn’t imagine if MCPS suddenly does a code green on a Tuesday like they did last year. Honestly it just really confuses me about MCPS’ decisions.

What do you mean? Last year MCPS had ridiculous closures. I certainly can't remember a time when they opened when they shouldn't have.

There's going to be plenty of time to clear roads before school starts on Tuesday. There shouldn't be a need for a closure. And if they can get their act together, there shouldn't be a need for a delay.

You really think they're going to get the roads clear, everywhere in the whole county, in time for Tuesday morning? Isn't there a good chance it will still be snowing Monday afternoon and maybe even evening? I don't think the crews usually work overnight, do they?

Yes, they do. Not every single side road will be perfectly cleared, but the major roads will be fine to drive on, and the side roads will be drivable for anyone that isn't an idiot.

Sidewalks have to be safe for walkers.

And neighborhoods have to be safe for buses

The roads are almost always fine after snow. MCPS makes the county and municipalities look almost competent in comparison.

Does it really just come down to the building services staff not wanting to wake up early?

Depends on where you are. If you are in a rural part of the county, the roads most certainly are not fine.

You realize many, many people, like doctors, nurses, emergency services employees, government employees, and various infrastructure services employees regularly drive on roads to get to their jobs after, or while, it snows, right? Short of a Snowmeggedon event, people suck it up and deal with with a slow drive to work.

And isn’t that a heck of a lot easier when everybody else stays off the bad roads?

I have to go to work in snow. I’m grateful m so many others stay home so I can get where I need to be.

Yes, and so you and road and building crews can go in early to get roads, parking lots and sidewalks cleared, and then let things open up. This isn't hard.

me me me me me me me. Everyone should cater to me.

This is such a strange attitude. That's the job. When I lived in Minnesota I never heard anyone that worked in road or facility management complain when they'd have to get up early after a snow storm.

Honestly, outside of schools, I don't hear many people here complain about it either, whether they're in those support roles or someone like a doctor that needs to get into work.

What is so unreasonable about expecting school facilities staff in this area to start work a few hours early so schools can open?