by Mallory Carlson ‘19

The first snow day of the year brought, as could be expected, exuberance from students but has also been met with criticism from many community members due to the late notice of the decision. Slightly before 5 this morning, MCPS sent out an alert that there would be a two-hour delay, but a final decision would be made by 7 a.m. (as is their usual practice). A few minutes before 7, MCPS confirmed the delay despite nearby counties like Howard announcing closures. Almost two hours later, an alert was sent announcing that MCPS schools would be closed because of the unexpected nature of the weather.

“Based on an updated forecast with worsening weather conditions, MCPS schools are now CLOSED. All school and community activities in school buildings also are canceled. All administrative offices are open,” reads the Twitter post from MCPS. Among the replies celebrating the unexpected day off were concerns from students, parents, and teachers condemning the late nature of the announcement.

The more prominent criticisms were that some students and many teachers were already on the roads or even at school and a great deal of parents were already on their way to work and unable to readjust their schedules so last-minute . One parent pointed out that she was on the metro and her child had already arrived at school, with the expectation of getting a lunch from the cafeteria. “Make the call you need to make, but make it by 7 am. Please,” she urged.