Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Does DCPS care about any demographic? Does the teachers’ union? And why do teachers say they have no say in these situations when it is their union?

1. Yes, but I won’t derail the thread discussing it. They are fairly open about it.

2. The teacher’s union is not a student or parent union so I’m not sure who you want them to prioritize. Spare us the whole teaching is a calling and we should die on the altar of students. It’s a job.

3. Teachers say they have no say because in these decisions because DCPS is not the union. Chancellor is not part of the WTU. Central office is not part of the WTU. Principals are not part of the WTU. They didn’t ask teachers what we wanted so how could we even have a say?

Anonymous wrote:

They could have just stuck to the plan which was to tack those days on at the end of the year. They did not have to take PTC and yet DCPS chose to.

Since you were kind, I hope this explanation makes sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Does DCPS care about any demographic? Does the teachers’ union? And why do teachers say they have no say in these situations when it is their union?

If you think the teacher’s union is so evil, stay at your non-unionized charter school or if you are at a DCPS school -what a weird take.

The wellness day is something teachers agreed to prior to any kind of weather events, meaning this is separate from a snow day. Can we use our critical thinking skills?

It’s interesting, charter schools also closed -they closed during Covid too -with no union present. Funny how some of you are quick to blame workers and not the management. Makes me think it’s just 1-2 people trolling because there’s no way multiple people could be this dumb.

I am not the PP, but it actually doesn't seem impossible to me that DCPS could have retained the flexibility to change one of the 3 snow days into the teachers' wellness day (provided that they weren't requiring them to do any work); I suspect that if the contract didn't give them that flexibility, then the next one will. Assuming that they weren't working any of those days, why couldn't one be designated as the wellness day? They got the days off... Maybe I'm missing something?

Since it was an emergency event they could not have have just randomly decided to make it a wellness day -despite DCPS often being a tumultuous place to work even they cannot just decide to change the date of the wellness day with zero notice. For example I have already planned to do something with my family that day (the actual wellness day). Also let’s be honest, it’s not much of a wellness day to be anxious about what DCPS is deciding to do (as you know).

To note some teachers would have been happy to take the wellness day, however it would have had to be put to a vote and there was not enough time for all of that.

They could have just stuck to the plan which was to tack those days on at the end of the year. They did not have to take PTC and yet DCPS chose to.

Since you were kind, I hope this explanation makes sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Does DCPS care about any demographic? Does the teachers’ union? And why do teachers say they have no say in these situations when it is their union?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Does DCPS care about any demographic? Does the teachers’ union? And why do teachers say they have no say in these situations when it is their union?

If you think the teacher’s union is so evil, stay at your non-unionized charter school or if you are at a DCPS school -what a weird take.

The wellness day is something teachers agreed to prior to any kind of weather events, meaning this is separate from a snow day. Can we use our critical thinking skills?

It’s interesting, charter schools also closed -they closed during Covid too -with no union present. Funny how some of you are quick to blame workers and not the management. Makes me think it’s just 1-2 people trolling because there’s no way multiple people could be this dumb.

I am not the PP, but it actually doesn't seem impossible to me that DCPS could have retained the flexibility to change one of the 3 snow days into the teachers' wellness day (provided that they weren't requiring them to do any work); I suspect that if the contract didn't give them that flexibility, then the next one will. Assuming that they weren't working any of those days, why couldn't one be designated as the wellness day? They got the days off... Maybe I'm missing something?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Does DCPS care about any demographic? Does the teachers’ union? And why do teachers say they have no say in these situations when it is their union?

If you think the teacher’s union is so evil, stay at your non-unionized charter school or if you are at a DCPS school -what a weird take.

The wellness day is something teachers agreed to prior to any kind of weather events, meaning this is separate from a snow day. Can we use our critical thinking skills?

It’s interesting, charter schools also closed -they closed during Covid too -with no union present. Funny how some of you are quick to blame workers and not the management. Makes me think it’s just 1-2 people trolling because there’s no way multiple people could be this dumb.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Does DCPS care about any demographic? Does the teachers’ union? And why do teachers say they have no say in these situations when it is their union?

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

I mean if you can’t handle teachers having a day off, peace. DCPS doesn’t care about your demographic anyway.

We found out in the middle of class at 11:47 on a Wednesday. If you think teachers had any say, you don’t understand DCPS.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, I get so little communication from my kids’ teachers. I wish they could have found a different day in the calendar.

Anonymous wrote:February 11, 2026

Dear DC Public Schools Parents and Families,

At DC Public Schools (DCPS), we are committed to providing students with rigorous and joyful learning experiences through high quality instruction. I am writing to share adjustments to the School Year (SY) 2025–2026 calendar resulting from the recent inclement weather closures.

Last month’s winter storm brought significant snow and ice to our city, and DCPS closed schools on Tuesday, January 27 and Wednesday, January 28. In order to meet the instructional day requirements outlined in the DC Municipal Regulations (DCMR), DCPS is making the following modifications to the SY 2025–2026 calendar:

* Thursday, March 12 previously scheduled for Parent-Teacher Conferences, will shift to an instructional day for all students and teachers.

Parent-Teacher Conferences previously scheduled for this date are cancelled, and schools are encouraged to leverage existing communication structures—such as routine check‑ins, emails, or phone outreach—to share timely student updates with families and caregivers.

* Friday, March 13 will remain a Wellness Day with no school for students or teachers.

Maintaining this day supports student and educator well‑being and honors the commitments outlined in the district’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Washington Teachers’ Union.

* Thursday, June 18 will be the last day of school for students.

This one-day extension ensures students receive the full instructional time needed to finish the school year before the Juneteenth holiday.

We recognize that changes to the school year calendar can affect our families' planning and end-of-year expectations. We hope that with this advance notice, families will be able to plan ahead as we look toward closing out another remarkable school year at DCPS.

Thank you for your flexibility and continued support.

In partnership,

Lewis D. Ferebee, Ed.D.
Chancellor, DC Public Schools

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe they cancelled PTC and kept the wellness day. The union has an absolute chokehold on this district and it’s driving more and more parents to private.

Why didn’t they preemptively shift one of the wellness days to the two snow days we had off and keep PTC?? We get NO communication about how our ES kid is doing as it is. PTC was the one chance to do that and you know the teacher isn’t going to offer any other ad hoc conferences or communications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Post-pandemic, DCPS teachers will get upset about the smallest bit of change if it only slightly inconveniences them because they have the backing of the most toxic union in the nation- the WTU.

Check out the WTU instagram page-- clamoring for more school closures after the snow. They will ALWAYS put the best interest of the students LAST. Seems they have forgotten why they became teachers in the first place.

If you start taking away PTC days, we will not see them back. If they start going virtual only, they will never go back in person. They managed to keep schools closed for two years and never once apologized for holding a whole generation of kids back in what was seen, even back then, as over-reaction.

Such a chicken little. Parent teacher conferences should really only be for kids who are struggling. It was a massive waste of time for my kids in elementary school. They were great students, had high grades, good test scores. I don’t need a teacher to tell me how great my kids are, I already know it. I feel like the teacher has better things to do with her/his time. Teachers have enough on their plate teaching and managing the high maintenance helicopter parents that seem to be ubiquitous in DC.

I would love to do conferences more often but DCPS doesn’t understand time. I am required to meet with 100% of my families. I have 48 students. In a 7.5 hour day that is less than 10 minutes per family if I don’t take any breaks, bathroom, water, or lunch. If I take only a 30 minute lunch break it’s down to 8.75 minutes. What meaningful conversation happens in 8.75 minutes?

If I schedule other times to reduce the number in one day, (which I do) I’m eliminating my time to plan lessons, grade assignments, or get materials set up. Or I’m meeting after school on my own time. I love being able to meet with parents but it basically makes the week before and after hell and DCPS doesn’t care.

We should have a full day and a half at least for conferences (take one of the PD days!) once a year and then the rest of the conference days are only if needed or requested. But remember, another conference day off is another day longer for the school year.

Who requires you to meet with 100% of families? That certainly isn’t a district wide requirement. And I think 1.5 days would be excessive. Some teachers barely have any parents show up.

DP, it’s a requirement at many schools. My school requires you to meet with 100% of families or it’s an automatic 3 (or less) for that CSC portion.

Yes, I’ve worked at 3 different schools and all required 100%. This year we even had to submit parent sign in sheets to the instructional superintendent because they didn’t believe we met with everyone.