MCPS delayed Thursday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One reason China's going to kick our ass is because their kids go to school when it snows.

They have a month long winter break from Jan to Feb, which is smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, I get it's a county-wide system and they can't open if even 1 school can't open safely. But even for this area, getting the snow cleared county-wide by Thursday for a storm that ended Monday/early Tuesday morning should not be a heavy lift.

And for my situation right now, it's a little different when the school you're paying $2000/mo for is closed, not the public school.

Why is this true? Why can't they create zones and open some, even if others can't?

Ah, you must be new here. It’s too early for me to play drinking games. But this one was on my bingo card. Surprised it took until Wednesday for people to start asking again.

Please read. Please read through these forums. Magnet programs do not have only students from that magnet's neighborhood. Immersion programs same. Special needs ec etc etc.

Yes I know that. I know why we are not breaking up the schools in the county. (Also it’s a state issue). I’m not the one asking for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One reason China's going to kick our ass is because their kids go to school when it snows.

They have a month long winter break from Jan to Feb, which is smart.

We should do the same. 4 weeks off during the hottest part of the year. 4 weeks off in the snowiest.
—MCPS teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One reason China's going to kick our ass is because their kids go to school when it snows.

They have a month long winter break from Jan to Feb, which is smart.

Lunar New Year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think streets have been plowed but if this isn't done in time they get icy. Our HOA had plows come several times on Monday and Tuesday and now our street is clean and dry. But the residential streets nearby are icy, though we've seen plows on them.

I wonder if anyone has ever examined the economic impact of multi-day school closures. A lot of parents aren't working because of this. Looking at that might make it worth it to invest more in snow storm response. Maybe it means more plows (does the county needs to own the plows or can they hire some as the HOAs do?). Maybe it means having a plan for buses in the snow (identifying alternate stops if one is too icy). Lots of people have been commuting to work yesterday and today. The roads are not impassable.

Main roads are in good shape for commuters. Residential side streets, not so much! You have hit the nail on the head with regard to good snow removal - it requires multiple passes to get the streets dry so there's not a pile of slush in the middle of the street to freeze (and freeze into weird ruts, I may add!) Northern urban areas also have city-owned sidewalk plows, not a thing here.

Commuters have to get out of their neighborhoods to get on the main road. They can do that just fine. We have been driving on our snowy, icy residential streets in our fwd subcompact since Monday. It's slow going, but totally doable.

+1 You can drive on icy streets.

And yet so few people do it well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think streets have been plowed but if this isn't done in time they get icy. Our HOA had plows come several times on Monday and Tuesday and now our street is clean and dry. But the residential streets nearby are icy, though we've seen plows on them.

I wonder if anyone has ever examined the economic impact of multi-day school closures. A lot of parents aren't working because of this. Looking at that might make it worth it to invest more in snow storm response. Maybe it means more plows (does the county needs to own the plows or can they hire some as the HOAs do?). Maybe it means having a plan for buses in the snow (identifying alternate stops if one is too icy). Lots of people have been commuting to work yesterday and today. The roads are not impassable.

Main roads are in good shape for commuters. Residential side streets, not so much! You have hit the nail on the head with regard to good snow removal - it requires multiple passes to get the streets dry so there's not a pile of slush in the middle of the street to freeze (and freeze into weird ruts, I may add!) Northern urban areas also have city-owned sidewalk plows, not a thing here.

Commuters have to get out of their neighborhoods to get on the main road. They can do that just fine. We have been driving on our snowy, icy residential streets in our fwd subcompact since Monday. It's slow going, but totally doable.

What about people who live on snowy icy roads but don’t have fwd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone tell me what will be different tomorrow from today? There won’t be much melting today.

I’m not arguing for schools to be closed, I’m wondering why they are not open today.

Because, collectively, we're a society of risk averse pussies and complainers whose children are content playing in the snow for hours but can't walk ten minues to school or wait at a bus stop for five minutes.

Wah wah!

Your kids are home and you’re Big Mad. Wah wah!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fyi..Howard called 2 hour delay and realized that was the wrooooong call and switched to closed! Conditions unlikely to improve by tomorrow.

I understand that refreezing will happen, but if nothing improves in 24 hours, it means no work was done to clean up, and management should resign.

Hold your breath, OK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, I get it's a county-wide system and they can't open if even 1 school can't open safely. But even for this area, getting the snow cleared county-wide by Thursday for a storm that ended Monday/early Tuesday morning should not be a heavy lift.

And for my situation right now, it's a little different when the school you're paying $2000/mo for is closed, not the public school.

Why is this true? Why can't they create zones and open some, even if others can't?

Ooh! Ooh! I call BINGO!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tailor talked a big game but he's just as ineffective as the others. 2 hours delay or closed.

Not saying he's the answer -- that'll take time to see -- but check back in when MoCo takes the keys to street snow removal from MCDOT and hands them to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone tell me what will be different tomorrow from today? There won’t be much melting today.

I’m not arguing for schools to be closed, I’m wondering why they are not open today.

Schools will be closed tomorrow I bet.

Someone commented that the last time it snowed this much, schools were closed for a week. Likely the same story this time.

I think I count myself among many parents who would blow their tops if schools are closed Thursday. (I don't even have a school-aged kid, but my toddler's preschool follows MCPS's schedule even though everything is plowed around here and we're near a Metro stop.)

I have kids in HS and have lived in the county since the younger one was born. I’d strongly suggest that you mentally prepare that this is how it is and make plans (for the years to come) accordingly.

This is the only sane post here. I also have HS and have taught in the county for 25+ years. If you have school age children, or their caregivers follow MCPS, you need winter contingency plans.
I know that is easier for some families than others. However, it is more productive than what I see in these threads every single snow day.

I have a college kid and a high schooler. Both attended/attend MCPS K-12.

The DC area has made a deliberate choice not to invest too much in snow removal equipment and labor, because it prefers to spend its funds elsewhere: free food programs at school, special education for the gifted and those with learning differences, magnets, and other public services such as free public libraries, county pools and fitness facilities, *not to mention rapid repair of air-conditioning in public buildings*, which is important for this area. We are not in the north. This is the mid-Atlantic. In terms of heating and air-conditioning needs, we have southern-leaning climatology!

Given how few and far between our snow events are, this is a perfectly acceptable choice. Last winter we had practically no snow. The years when we have significant accumulation and back to back snow events (like what might happen this week) are exceedingly rare, and it's not cost-effective to maintain and pay for rapid snow removal every winter on the off-chance we might have such events. This means that on the rare occasions schools are closed for snow, the burden shifts on parents to provide their own childcare.

Accept this or move elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

we used to go to school on days like this. 2007 grad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we used to go to school on days like this. 2007 grad

I taught HS then and no, we didn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think streets have been plowed but if this isn't done in time they get icy. Our HOA had plows come several times on Monday and Tuesday and now our street is clean and dry. But the residential streets nearby are icy, though we've seen plows on them.

I wonder if anyone has ever examined the economic impact of multi-day school closures. A lot of parents aren't working because of this. Looking at that might make it worth it to invest more in snow storm response. Maybe it means more plows (does the county needs to own the plows or can they hire some as the HOAs do?). Maybe it means having a plan for buses in the snow (identifying alternate stops if one is too icy). Lots of people have been commuting to work yesterday and today. The roads are not impassable.

Main roads are in good shape for commuters. Residential side streets, not so much! You have hit the nail on the head with regard to good snow removal - it requires multiple passes to get the streets dry so there's not a pile of slush in the middle of the street to freeze (and freeze into weird ruts, I may add!) Northern urban areas also have city-owned sidewalk plows, not a thing here.

Commuters have to get out of their neighborhoods to get on the main road. They can do that just fine. We have been driving on our snowy, icy residential streets in our fwd subcompact since Monday. It's slow going, but totally doable.

What about people who live on snowy icy roads but don’t have fwd?

Sorry I realize that was unclear, our subcompact has front wheel drive, not four wheel drive. You don't need 4 wheel drive to drive in the snow.

If you are talking about people without cars, they put on boots and walk to the bus stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think streets have been plowed but if this isn't done in time they get icy. Our HOA had plows come several times on Monday and Tuesday and now our street is clean and dry. But the residential streets nearby are icy, though we've seen plows on them.

I wonder if anyone has ever examined the economic impact of multi-day school closures. A lot of parents aren't working because of this. Looking at that might make it worth it to invest more in snow storm response. Maybe it means more plows (does the county needs to own the plows or can they hire some as the HOAs do?). Maybe it means having a plan for buses in the snow (identifying alternate stops if one is too icy). Lots of people have been commuting to work yesterday and today. The roads are not impassable.

Main roads are in good shape for commuters. Residential side streets, not so much! You have hit the nail on the head with regard to good snow removal - it requires multiple passes to get the streets dry so there's not a pile of slush in the middle of the street to freeze (and freeze into weird ruts, I may add!) Northern urban areas also have city-owned sidewalk plows, not a thing here.

Commuters have to get out of their neighborhoods to get on the main road. They can do that just fine. We have been driving on our snowy, icy residential streets in our fwd subcompact since Monday. It's slow going, but totally doable.

What about people who live on snowy icy roads but don’t have fwd?

They need to have a backup plan- e.g., leave their car somehwere else where they can get out. Isn't that what y'all are always telling everyone in regards to childcare and snow days, that they need to plan better? Or if that's not possible, get a better car next time.