Education

MCPS Adopts Policy to Allow Shift to Virtual Learning Days Instead of Traditional Snow Days

By Patrick Herron

At Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, the Montgomery County BOE voted 7-1 to adopt a policy that will allow MCPS to shift to virtual instruction instead of canceling classes for traditional snow days. The policy went into effect immediately and covers the remainder of the current school year.

The BOE says the reason for possible virtual learning days is to prevent having to extend the school year.

Student school board member Hana O’Looney was the only person to vote in opposition. “There’s a lot more interest from students in extending the school year than getting rid of inclement weather days,” O’Looney said.

Schools will not automatically switch to virtual learning on inclement weather days, and the decision will be made on a case-to-case basis. When the decision is made for virtual learning, classes will operate on a two-hour delay schedule to allow students and teachers to adjust accordingly, according to Caitlynn Peetz at Bethesda Beat.

MCPS will send a “get ready” message to families when inclement weather is in the forecast.

Montgomery County Public Schools released a survey last week about the possibility of virtual learning on days when schools are closed due to inclement weather last.

Per the Maryland State Department of Education, all school systems are required to have at least 180 instructional days per year. With inclement weather, multiple school system closures may require adjustments to the school year calendar (e.g., extending the year, using other identified days). MCPS is planning for options that allow for virtual instruction on inclement weather closure days. While virtual instruction cannot replace time in the classroom, MCPS believes it is essential to continue to provide access to learning opportunities. Your feedback on this intent will help inform the district’s implementation plan.

Peetz reports that the response to the survey was roughly evenly split. The demographic breakdown of respondents can be seen below, via Dana Tofig.