Snow Days: A Well Needed Rest or A Day Missed?

After a turbulent winter season that even in early March shows little sign of fully letting up, Montgomery County Public Schools students have missed a considerable number of school days. From days cancelled due to snow to two-hour delays from freezing rain and icy roads, the weather has wreaked havoc on normal instruction days. With the limit of five allowed missed days met, many are wondering if snow days are as joyous an occasion as many think.

One particular snow day caused mass schedule disruption, as it fell during the week preceding midterm exams in January. Many students, like BCC freshman Kevin Ebert, felt hard done by with the cancellation. “It meant we had to miss a review day for our exams, and every day counts when you are studying,” he remarked.

The majority of students are also worried that after exceeding our five allotted snow days we may have to go to school beyond Thursday, June 12. However, math teacher Dana Creager has a theory. “I believe we may not have to make up the two snow days on the 12^th and 13^th of February as those were declared state of emergency days by Maryland.” However, this possible extension of the school year comes as nothing new to freshman Rachel Cohen. She spent three years in London, England, where “school goes until early July, so coming to school well into the summer is commonplace.”

Other public school systems across the northeast have come under fire this winter for not canceling school, most notably the New York City school system. Many criticized New York school officials for not canceling during the big blizzard of mid-February, but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio justified this by claiming that many underprivileged students depended on food and shelter provided by the schools.

This also proves true in Montgomery County, and shows that snow days are not only a relief and a fun day off from school. Some children depend on the nutritional services provided by MCPS; missing an instruction day can also greatly affect learning and preparing for important tests. No matter what your view on snow days, you can keep prepared by checking the MoCo Student’s weather updates as well as the Montgomery County Public Schools website, where all emergency weather closure details are posted.

Article by Max Cohen, MoCo Student staff writer