Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 11:08     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
MSDE allowed it knowing full well no districts were likely to attempt to tackle the logistical nightmare that would be opening an entire district on less than 2 days notice. Don't blame MCPS for being smart enough to know that there are too many factors that needed to be settled to make it work for 214 schools.
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 11:03     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

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



Laws can be changed


MSDE approved letting districts open on President's Day this year already because of the snow. It was an option, just one MCPS chose not to use.
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 11:02     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

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


Wrong. Maryland State Dept of Education approved on 2/5/2026 that Presidents' Day Monday 2/16/2026 can be a makeup day for the snow storm. MCPS chose not to use it.
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 10:58     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

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



Laws can be changed
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 10:57     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who insisted that MCPS will get a waiver and there will be no make up days.. JUne 19th is going to be off (juneteenth), so it makes no sense to add more fluff days after june 19th just to say they added make up days..


The requirement exists to ensure that school systems provide the right amount of instructional time. The reason we are looking at extending the school year is because of MCPS's poor and disingenuous planning. Could be avoided by baking in 3 snows days into the calendar and including 3 make up days in March, April and May that they are actually willing to use.
March ✓ April possibly on the 15th
May doesn't have any off days besides Memorial Day and the 2nd Eid holiday so unless you want that day (in which Muslim's heads will explode if they hear both days were taken) there is no place.
The 180 day requirement came based on the logics of it being approximately half the calendar days in a year. It is doable with little or no religious hoalidays and cancelations. Once those sprout the year gets longer and longer. States like Florida, Georgia and Virginia have "180 days" in their law but allow credit based on a specific number of hours even if less than 180 calendar days are used to get there.


Plenty of time in the summer if you plan for it. It obviously doesn't work if you tack on half days at the end. Make it part of the calendar from the beginning

Also stop blaming the Muslims who have 2 days and now possibly not even that
Who said I'm blaming Muslims? When the post said have 3 makeup days in March, April, May. Between required off days and spring break these are the only 3 such days. It's either those 3 days or it's not possible to get them.


Saying "Muslim's heads will explode" is very disrespectful. They spent a lot of time advocating for their two days and one of them gets taken away so quickly.

MCPS should advocate for eliminating the requirement to have Easter Monday and Good Friday off. Come on, those can be observed without missing school. President's Day should be a scheduled makeup day and MCPS should plan to use it on short notice. Move Spring Break to the end of term and have one day of Spring break designated as the grading day.
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 10:51     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
For people suggesting Feb 16 -- this is not an option under Maryland law, which prohibits school on Presidents' Day, as well as others (MLK Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Dec 24-Jan 1, T-giving and day after, Labor Day, Memorial Day, and statewide primary & general election days).

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/ida.pdf
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 00:12     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:And they’ll have to seek a waiver next year too. They put 2 of the 3 makeup days for snow in October and November.
There were 5 makeup days before June 18th, 2 in the Fall, 1 coincided with the storm, March 20 and April 15. They could use April 15 and get the last day waived for being on a Monday if there are no more closures. That said if there are more bad weather days once we pass Feb 16 and 17 then June 22 and 23 will be required before they can waive any more.
Anonymous
Post 02/10/2026 00:09     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who insisted that MCPS will get a waiver and there will be no make up days.. JUne 19th is going to be off (juneteenth), so it makes no sense to add more fluff days after june 19th just to say they added make up days..


The requirement exists to ensure that school systems provide the right amount of instructional time. The reason we are looking at extending the school year is because of MCPS's poor and disingenuous planning. Could be avoided by baking in 3 snows days into the calendar and including 3 make up days in March, April and May that they are actually willing to use.
March ✓ April possibly on the 15th
May doesn't have any off days besides Memorial Day and the 2nd Eid holiday so unless you want that day (in which Muslim's heads will explode if they hear both days were taken) there is no place.
The 180 day requirement came based on the logics of it being approximately half the calendar days in a year. It is doable with little or no religious hoalidays and cancelations. Once those sprout the year gets longer and longer. States like Florida, Georgia and Virginia have "180 days" in their law but allow credit based on a specific number of hours even if less than 180 calendar days are used to get there.


Plenty of time in the summer if you plan for it. It obviously doesn't work if you tack on half days at the end. Make it part of the calendar from the beginning

Also stop blaming the Muslims who have 2 days and now possibly not even that
Who said I'm blaming Muslims? When the post said have 3 makeup days in March, April, May. Between required off days and spring break these are the only 3 such days. It's either those 3 days or it's not possible to get them.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 22:56     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who insisted that MCPS will get a waiver and there will be no make up days.. JUne 19th is going to be off (juneteenth), so it makes no sense to add more fluff days after june 19th just to say they added make up days..


The requirement exists to ensure that school systems provide the right amount of instructional time. The reason we are looking at extending the school year is because of MCPS's poor and disingenuous planning. Could be avoided by baking in 3 snows days into the calendar and including 3 make up days in March, April and May that they are actually willing to use.
March ✓ April possibly on the 15th
May doesn't have any off days besides Memorial Day and the 2nd Eid holiday so unless you want that day (in which Muslim's heads will explode if they hear both days were taken) there is no place.
The 180 day requirement came based on the logics of it being approximately half the calendar days in a year. It is doable with little or no religious hoalidays and cancelations. Once those sprout the year gets longer and longer. States like Florida, Georgia and Virginia have "180 days" in their law but allow credit based on a specific number of hours even if less than 180 calendar days are used to get there.


Plenty of time in the summer if you plan for it. It obviously doesn't work if you tack on half days at the end. Make it part of the calendar from the beginning

Also stop blaming the Muslims who have 2 days and now possibly not even that


+1 This is the fault of MCPS for putting in only 1 snow day into the calendar (when we've already had 5 and it's only 1 week into February), and for putting in makeup days that it wasn't willing to use.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 22:47     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who insisted that MCPS will get a waiver and there will be no make up days.. JUne 19th is going to be off (juneteenth), so it makes no sense to add more fluff days after june 19th just to say they added make up days..


The requirement exists to ensure that school systems provide the right amount of instructional time. The reason we are looking at extending the school year is because of MCPS's poor and disingenuous planning. Could be avoided by baking in 3 snows days into the calendar and including 3 make up days in March, April and May that they are actually willing to use.
March ✓ April possibly on the 15th
May doesn't have any off days besides Memorial Day and the 2nd Eid holiday so unless you want that day (in which Muslim's heads will explode if they hear both days were taken) there is no place.
The 180 day requirement came based on the logics of it being approximately half the calendar days in a year. It is doable with little or no religious hoalidays and cancelations. Once those sprout the year gets longer and longer. States like Florida, Georgia and Virginia have "180 days" in their law but allow credit based on a specific number of hours even if less than 180 calendar days are used to get there.


Plenty of time in the summer if you plan for it. It obviously doesn't work if you tack on half days at the end. Make it part of the calendar from the beginning

Also stop blaming the Muslims who have 2 days and now possibly not even that
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 22:26     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who insisted that MCPS will get a waiver and there will be no make up days.. JUne 19th is going to be off (juneteenth), so it makes no sense to add more fluff days after june 19th just to say they added make up days..


The requirement exists to ensure that school systems provide the right amount of instructional time. The reason we are looking at extending the school year is because of MCPS's poor and disingenuous planning. Could be avoided by baking in 3 snows days into the calendar and including 3 make up days in March, April and May that they are actually willing to use.
March ✓ April possibly on the 15th
May doesn't have any off days besides Memorial Day and the 2nd Eid holiday so unless you want that day (in which Muslim's heads will explode if they hear both days were taken) there is no place.
The 180 day requirement came based on the logics of it being approximately half the calendar days in a year. It is doable with little or no religious hoalidays and cancelations. Once those sprout the year gets longer and longer. States like Florida, Georgia and Virginia have "180 days" in their law but allow credit based on a specific number of hours even if less than 180 calendar days are used to get there.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 20:35     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was the one who insisted that MCPS will get a waiver and there will be no make up days.. JUne 19th is going to be off (juneteenth), so it makes no sense to add more fluff days after june 19th just to say they added make up days..


The requirement exists to ensure that school systems provide the right amount of instructional time. The reason we are looking at extending the school year is because of MCPS's poor and disingenuous planning. Could be avoided by baking in 3 snows days into the calendar and including 3 make up days in March, April and May that they are actually willing to use.

100%
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 19:41     Subject: Re:MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:I support the waiver. We have plans for this 4 day weekend and my kids camp deposits have already been made for June. I dont know understand why parents are screaming about making up two days with such short notice. As someone up thread pointed out.... managerial supervisors understand that would have been an illivised choice.

Logistically it would have been difficult to pull off. Teachers not only likely made plans but what of the bus drivers, support staff, building services, etc.


It should have been automatic so we didn't waste 2 weeks arguing about it. It obviously isn't practical at this point.

MCPS isn't going to get a waiver unless it finds one or two more days to add on. Making June 18 an early release day didn't help their case.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 19:37     Subject: MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
Anonymous wrote:The best way would be to shorten the spring break if they can’t use Feb 16,17. Extending beyond june 18th and adding fluff days is not useful. By the last week of school instruction has already stopped. What is the point?


Absolutely not! Spring break should not be shortened. Some of us have made international them plans and to force us to miss school unexcused it absurd. Kids in the DC region work incredibly hard, coming from Colorado, this region is very type A and the public education system in this region is on par with private schools in many other regions of the country.

The kids do not deserve to lose spring break because some parents do not like their children or refuse to make additional plans for their children.
Anonymous
Post 02/09/2026 19:34     Subject: Re:MCPS seeking waiver yet again!!!
I support the waiver. We have plans for this 4 day weekend and my kids camp deposits have already been made for June. I dont know understand why parents are screaming about making up two days with such short notice. As someone up thread pointed out.... managerial supervisors understand that would have been an illivised choice.

Logistically it would have been difficult to pull off. Teachers not only likely made plans but what of the bus drivers, support staff, building services, etc.