In an effort to not disrupt learning during snow days, the Montgomery County Public School’s Board of Education agreed to revert to virtual learning, especially if the inclement weather lasts several days or the bad weather is predicted in enough time for students to bring home their computers.
According to MCPS staff, any disruption in the learning day throws off the pace of all learning and creates a backtracking that has to be done.
Student Member of the Board Arvin Kim was the lone vote in opposition. He expressed concern that not all students will be able to log on for virtual learning and that the policy would create additional work for staff.
Last year, the state allowed local districts to count a day when its buildings are closed as part of the mandated 180 days of learning if the schools had virtual learning that day. MCPS opted into that plan last year.
The plan adopted at the BOE’s Thursday meeting is similar and merely updates the policy.
The district is limited to eight days of virtual learning during the school year. Three of those eight days may involve student learning on their own, but on virtual days where the teacher interacts with students, that must happen for at least four hours a school day.
MCPS will use colors to let teachers, students and families know what that day is. Green is a normal school day. Yellow means there is a two-hour delay. Blue means schools will close early, and orange means that students have the day off, but school offices are open.
Red means schools are closed. Purple is a virtual learning day.
Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight will decide when to transition to virtual learning when school buildings are closed.
This policy will be used not only when the weather is bad but also if a school is closed in an emergency, like when a plane crashed into a power tower in November causing some schools in Gaithersburg to close.
