Taylor "No Snow Delay" Apology Email

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Changes are being implemented.

By whom? Don't worry about that...

But it's normal for MCPS to have these ridiculous delays/closures when the weather is fine. Is Taylor saying that's actually going to change?

They have gotten increasing ridiculous under Taylor, which is an impressive achievement.

How have they? My youngest is a senior. I remember plenty of 2 hour delays when she was in elementary school - even when it turned out to only rain.

That's not the ridiculous part. In this case, the ridiculous thing was prohibiting child care from opening around the same time as high schools. And previously, Taylor kept schools closed until Thursday for a winter storm on Sunday.

I agree, but a similar situation occured with childcare not being allowed to open last winter when it otherwise would have. I recall KAH was caught off guard and complained about it.

Exactly my point. Why has it suddenly gotten so much worse under Taylor? Is it him? Is it Cat Malchodi? Is it a new budget or staffing issue?

Where I work, decisions regarding facilities are effectively made by the head of operations. For MCPS, I believe that’s Cat Malchodi. I just looked her up. She seems to live in a $3 million, 10,000 square foot mansion in Potomac. She might be a little too out of touch for that position…

Y'all. Stop. Cat makes no decisions. First off, Cat is not the head of operations. She's the Executive Director of Operations, which in MCPS basically means she's the top admin secretary for that division. The actual chief of operations for the system is Adnan Mamoon. But even he is blameless here as Taylor and Essie make all of the decisions.

Please stop looking for someone other than Taylor to blame here for this fumble.

+1. This is not Malchodi's fault; she is just the messenger.

Why should it be Taylor’s decision on something as operational as whether to open private before care on a rainy day? He’s the superintendent not the ops manager. Don’t they have a policy in place as to how these decisions are made? It’s not like MCPS doesn’t have these barely justifiable rain delays every year. It shouldn’t be a big flex to manage this professionally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

Weren't building services employees instructed to report on-time anyway? The people needed to open the schools to child care providers were already there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its unsurprising tha dispiriting that so many of MCPScs public communicators are so illiterate that they make things worse by trying to talk about them. We see this all the time in the incoherent spam emails from CO and principals and other officials.

That there are 6 pages of comments trying to understand what Taylor was trying to say in that email is indicative that their communications team is not particularly good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Changes are being implemented.

By whom? Don't worry about that...

But it's normal for MCPS to have these ridiculous delays/closures when the weather is fine. Is Taylor saying that's actually going to change?

They have gotten increasing ridiculous under Taylor, which is an impressive achievement.

How have they? My youngest is a senior. I remember plenty of 2 hour delays when she was in elementary school - even when it turned out to only rain.

That's not the ridiculous part. In this case, the ridiculous thing was prohibiting child care from opening around the same time as high schools. And previously, Taylor kept schools closed until Thursday for a winter storm on Sunday.

I agree, but a similar situation occured with childcare not being allowed to open last winter when it otherwise would have. I recall KAH was caught off guard and complained about it.

Exactly my point. Why has it suddenly gotten so much worse under Taylor? Is it him? Is it Cat Malchodi? Is it a new budget or staffing issue?

Where I work, decisions regarding facilities are effectively made by the head of operations. For MCPS, I believe that’s Cat Malchodi. I just looked her up. She seems to live in a $3 million, 10,000 square foot mansion in Potomac. She might be a little too out of touch for that position…

Y'all. Stop. Cat makes no decisions. First off, Cat is not the head of operations. She's the Executive Director of Operations, which in MCPS basically means she's the top admin secretary for that division. The actual chief of operations for the system is Adnan Mamoon. But even he is blameless here as Taylor and Essie make all of the decisions.

Please stop looking for someone other than Taylor to blame here for this fumble.

+1. This is not Malchodi's fault; she is just the messenger.

Why should it be Taylor’s decision on something as operational as whether to open private before care on a rainy day? He’s the superintendent not the ops manager. Don’t they have a policy in place as to how these decisions are made? It’s not like MCPS doesn’t have these barely justifiable rain delays every year. It shouldn’t be a big flex to manage this professionally.

Well, everything changed when Taylor started, so I am blaming him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Changes are being implemented.

By whom? Don't worry about that...

But it's normal for MCPS to have these ridiculous delays/closures when the weather is fine. Is Taylor saying that's actually going to change?

They have gotten increasing ridiculous under Taylor, which is an impressive achievement.

How have they? My youngest is a senior. I remember plenty of 2 hour delays when she was in elementary school - even when it turned out to only rain.

That's not the ridiculous part. In this case, the ridiculous thing was prohibiting child care from opening around the same time as high schools. And previously, Taylor kept schools closed until Thursday for a winter storm on Sunday.

I agree, but a similar situation occured with childcare not being allowed to open last winter when it otherwise would have. I recall KAH was caught off guard and complained about it.

Exactly my point. Why has it suddenly gotten so much worse under Taylor? Is it him? Is it Cat Malchodi? Is it a new budget or staffing issue?

Where I work, decisions regarding facilities are effectively made by the head of operations. For MCPS, I believe that’s Cat Malchodi. I just looked her up. She seems to live in a $3 million, 10,000 square foot mansion in Potomac. She might be a little too out of touch for that position…

Y'all. Stop. Cat makes no decisions. First off, Cat is not the head of operations. She's the Executive Director of Operations, which in MCPS basically means she's the top admin secretary for that division. The actual chief of operations for the system is Adnan Mamoon. But even he is blameless here as Taylor and Essie make all of the decisions.

Please stop looking for someone other than Taylor to blame here for this fumble.

+1. This is not Malchodi's fault; she is just the messenger.

Why should it be Taylor’s decision on something as operational as whether to open private before care on a rainy day? He’s the superintendent not the ops manager. Don’t they have a policy in place as to how these decisions are made? It’s not like MCPS doesn’t have these barely justifiable rain delays every year. It shouldn’t be a big flex to manage this professionally.

No, there doesn't seem to be a formal policy or process.

The nonsensical decision wasn't the 2-hour delay--- it was canceling before-care.

The 2-hour delay was a clear mistake as well, albeit one consistent with previous poor decisions. The weather forecast was clear that it would be too warm for ice to form on roads. Even if it had been a few degrees colder, traffic would have melted ice on the road. On roads with limited traffic, common sense should tell you to drive slower. The inability to drive the full speed limit is not reasonable justification to close or delay schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its unsurprising tha dispiriting that so many of MCPScs public communicators are so illiterate that they make things worse by trying to talk about them. We see this all the time in the incoherent spam emails from CO and principals and other officials.

That there are 6 pages of comments trying to understand what Taylor was trying to say in that email is indicative that their communications team is not particularly good

We all know what he was trying to say. He was trying to apologize without accepting responsibility or committing to do better.

[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:Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Changes are being implemented.

By whom? Don't worry about that...

But it's normal for MCPS to have these ridiculous delays/closures when the weather is fine. Is Taylor saying that's actually going to change?

They have gotten increasing ridiculous under Taylor, which is an impressive achievement.

How have they? My youngest is a senior. I remember plenty of 2 hour delays when she was in elementary school - even when it turned out to only rain.

That's not the ridiculous part. In this case, the ridiculous thing was prohibiting child care from opening around the same time as high schools. And previously, Taylor kept schools closed until Thursday for a winter storm on Sunday.

I agree, but a similar situation occured with childcare not being allowed to open last winter when it otherwise would have. I recall KAH was caught off guard and complained about it.

Exactly my point. Why has it suddenly gotten so much worse under Taylor? Is it him? Is it Cat Malchodi? Is it a new budget or staffing issue?

Where I work, decisions regarding facilities are effectively made by the head of operations. For MCPS, I believe that’s Cat Malchodi. I just looked her up. She seems to live in a $3 million, 10,000 square foot mansion in Potomac. She might be a little too out of touch for that position…

Y'all. Stop. Cat makes no decisions. First off, Cat is not the head of operations. She's the Executive Director of Operations, which in MCPS basically means she's the top admin secretary for that division. The actual chief of operations for the system is Adnan Mamoon. But even he is blameless here as Taylor and Essie make all of the decisions.

Please stop looking for someone other than Taylor to blame here for this fumble.

+1. This is not Malchodi's fault; she is just the messenger.

Why should it be Taylor’s decision on something as operational as whether to open private before care on a rainy day? He’s the superintendent not the ops manager. Don’t they have a policy in place as to how these decisions are made? It’s not like MCPS doesn’t have these barely justifiable rain delays every year. It shouldn’t be a big flex to manage this professionally.

No, there doesn't seem to be a formal policy or process.

The nonsensical decision wasn't the 2-hour delay--- it was canceling before-care.

The 2-hour delay was a clear mistake as well, albeit one consistent with previous poor decisions. The weather forecast was clear that it would be too warm for ice to form on roads. Even if it had been a few degrees colder, traffic would have melted ice on the road. On roads with limited traffic, common sense should tell you to drive slower. The inability to drive the full speed limit is not reasonable justification to close or delay schools.

This is where I am. I find the two hour delay stupid, but it's expected and I'm not going to complain. I just want the approach they had two years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

Businesses do close or open late due to dangerous conditions. Even my oncologist’s office rescheduled appointments because they value their staff’s safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

Businesses do close or open late due to dangerous conditions. Even my oncologist’s office rescheduled appointments because they value their staff’s safety.

That still wouldn't explain why high schools could start but not child care. We don't care about high school staff and students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

Businesses do close or open late due to dangerous conditions. Even my oncologist’s office rescheduled appointments because they value their staff’s safety.

That still wouldn't explain why high schools could start but not child care. We don't care about high school staff and students?

Excellent point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

Businesses do close or open late due to dangerous conditions. Even my oncologist’s office rescheduled appointments because they value their staff’s safety.

That still wouldn't explain why high schools could start but not child care. We don't care about high school staff and students?

+1

And come on, these were not dangerous conditions, even up-county.

[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:Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Changes are being implemented.

By whom? Don't worry about that...

But it's normal for MCPS to have these ridiculous delays/closures when the weather is fine. Is Taylor saying that's actually going to change?

They have gotten increasing ridiculous under Taylor, which is an impressive achievement.

How have they? My youngest is a senior. I remember plenty of 2 hour delays when she was in elementary school - even when it turned out to only rain.

That's not the ridiculous part. In this case, the ridiculous thing was prohibiting child care from opening around the same time as high schools. And previously, Taylor kept schools closed until Thursday for a winter storm on Sunday.

I agree, but a similar situation occured with childcare not being allowed to open last winter when it otherwise would have. I recall KAH was caught off guard and complained about it.

Exactly my point. Why has it suddenly gotten so much worse under Taylor? Is it him? Is it Cat Malchodi? Is it a new budget or staffing issue?

Where I work, decisions regarding facilities are effectively made by the head of operations. For MCPS, I believe that’s Cat Malchodi. I just looked her up. She seems to live in a $3 million, 10,000 square foot mansion in Potomac. She might be a little too out of touch for that position…

Y'all. Stop. Cat makes no decisions. First off, Cat is not the head of operations. She's the Executive Director of Operations, which in MCPS basically means she's the top admin secretary for that division. The actual chief of operations for the system is Adnan Mamoon. But even he is blameless here as Taylor and Essie make all of the decisions.

Please stop looking for someone other than Taylor to blame here for this fumble.

+1. This is not Malchodi's fault; she is just the messenger.

Why should it be Taylor’s decision on something as operational as whether to open private before care on a rainy day? He’s the superintendent not the ops manager. Don’t they have a policy in place as to how these decisions are made? It’s not like MCPS doesn’t have these barely justifiable rain delays every year. It shouldn’t be a big flex to manage this professionally.

No, there doesn't seem to be a formal policy or process.

The nonsensical decision wasn't the 2-hour delay--- it was canceling before-care.

The 2-hour delay was a clear mistake as well, albeit one consistent with previous poor decisions. The weather forecast was clear that it would be too warm for ice to form on roads. Even if it had been a few degrees colder, traffic would have melted ice on the road. On roads with limited traffic, common sense should tell you to drive slower. The inability to drive the full speed limit is not reasonable justification to close or delay schools.

This is where I am. I find the two hour delay stupid, but it's expected and I'm not going to complain. I just want the approach they had two years ago.

Yup. PG and Howard also delayed. Frederick closed. A 2-hour delay was totally expected and in line with what the surrounding districts were doing, regardless of how stupid some people may have felt it was. It was at least consistent. The inconsistency with the childcare stuff is maddening. Taylor is like a bull in a china shop.

[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:Mistakes were made. Lessons were learned. Changes are being implemented.

By whom? Don't worry about that...

But it's normal for MCPS to have these ridiculous delays/closures when the weather is fine. Is Taylor saying that's actually going to change?

They have gotten increasing ridiculous under Taylor, which is an impressive achievement.

How have they? My youngest is a senior. I remember plenty of 2 hour delays when she was in elementary school - even when it turned out to only rain.

That's not the ridiculous part. In this case, the ridiculous thing was prohibiting child care from opening around the same time as high schools. And previously, Taylor kept schools closed until Thursday for a winter storm on Sunday.

I agree, but a similar situation occured with childcare not being allowed to open last winter when it otherwise would have. I recall KAH was caught off guard and complained about it.

Exactly my point. Why has it suddenly gotten so much worse under Taylor? Is it him? Is it Cat Malchodi? Is it a new budget or staffing issue?

Where I work, decisions regarding facilities are effectively made by the head of operations. For MCPS, I believe that’s Cat Malchodi. I just looked her up. She seems to live in a $3 million, 10,000 square foot mansion in Potomac. She might be a little too out of touch for that position…

Y'all. Stop. Cat makes no decisions. First off, Cat is not the head of operations. She's the Executive Director of Operations, which in MCPS basically means she's the top admin secretary for that division. The actual chief of operations for the system is Adnan Mamoon. But even he is blameless here as Taylor and Essie make all of the decisions.

Please stop looking for someone other than Taylor to blame here for this fumble.

+1. This is not Malchodi's fault; she is just the messenger.

Why should it be Taylor’s decision on something as operational as whether to open private before care on a rainy day? He’s the superintendent not the ops manager. Don’t they have a policy in place as to how these decisions are made? It’s not like MCPS doesn’t have these barely justifiable rain delays every year. It shouldn’t be a big flex to manage this professionally.

No, there doesn't seem to be a formal policy or process.

The nonsensical decision wasn't the 2-hour delay--- it was canceling before-care.

The 2-hour delay was a clear mistake as well, albeit one consistent with previous poor decisions. The weather forecast was clear that it would be too warm for ice to form on roads. Even if it had been a few degrees colder, traffic would have melted ice on the road. On roads with limited traffic, common sense should tell you to drive slower. The inability to drive the full speed limit is not reasonable justification to close or delay schools.

This is where I am. I find the two hour delay stupid, but it's expected and I'm not going to complain. I just want the approach they had two years ago.

Yup. PG and Howard also delayed. Frederick closed. A 2-hour delay was totally expected and in line with what the surrounding districts were doing, regardless of how stupid some people may have felt it was. It was at least consistent. The inconsistency with the childcare stuff is maddening. Taylor is like a bull in a china shop.

Frederick only closed because they weren't going to have school in the afternoon. A delay wouldn't have given them enough hours to count. It was just rain there, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I've ever gotten an apology email from MCPS about anything. Did Taylor get an earful from parents for closing down private before care and doing a delayed start for a bit of rain?

Dear MCPS Families,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay and the decision to delay the opening of both schools and offices. Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like. I am writing to let you know that we take this seriously and that I would like to apologize for today’s disruptions and many inconveniences.

Today’s delay also meant that we canceled morning childcare for some families, where before school care is provided at some of our schools by community partners. This announcement was made in error and should have been a delay. Again, I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning. We are truly sorry for the confusion.

As always, we leaned heavily into one priority today: the safety of our students and all MCPS staff. The forecast called for the high probability of a wintry mix, including freezing rain, and a bit of snow—and in our area, even small amounts of ice and snow can make early-morning travel dangerous. Many of our employees commute from across the region, including areas where conditions may differ significantly from those in central Montgomery County. In the future, please count on us to continue to make inclement weather calls with safety and an abundance of caution as our top priority.

Going forward, we will work to be clearer about any deviation from our usual operating practices, strive to make decisions earlier when possible, and communicate more directly when something changes from what you typically expect. And as always, we will continue to center safety above all else.

Thank you for your patience with us and we are truly sorry for the disruption.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D, M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools

There was ice on roads in communities where teachers live. None of our subs showed up. My coworker was in a three vehicle accident yesterday and didn’t make it to our school until 10:30 AM.

If parents want the schools open on time even if teachers and subs can’t make it at opening, they need to plan to be there to supervise kids.

There is no condition specific to adults who work in schools that makes it harder for those adults to travel to work in winter weather than people who work other places.

Businesses do close or open late due to dangerous conditions. Even my oncologist’s office rescheduled appointments because they value their staff’s safety.

That still wouldn't explain why high schools could start but not child care. We don't care about high school staff and students?

+1

And come on, these were not dangerous conditions, even up-county.

We really need to hire a Superintendent from a northern or midwestern state. Southerners don't have any common sense.