Changes proposed to the upcoming MCPS calendar

On Sept. 13, 2018, the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Policy Management Committee received an update on the calendar and developed two potential scenarios for the upcoming year. Both of these scenarios will be presented to the Board of Education (BOE) for implementation.

MCPS 2019-20 Proposed Calendar

Photo: The proposed calendar for the MCPS 2019-20 year.

The proposed calendar for the MCPS 2019-20 year. Photo courtesy of MCPS.

The Board sent out a calendar survey for staff, parents/guardians and other members in the community to share their concerns. They found that student and staff attendance is likely to be lower for holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and are considering these statistics for future closings. They included surveys which asked about attendance on holidays such as Diwali, Eid and Lunar New Year. Although the majority of the community claimed that they would attend school for the entire day, there is never a 100% guarantee because many people skip school to celebrate a holiday affiliated with their beliefs.

The traditional timeframe of the school year, established by Governor Larry Hogan's Executive Order remains in place (Sept. 3, 2019 - Jun. 15, 2020). State-mandated closings will not be changed, including short breaks for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, as well as the classic holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. day and Presidents' Day. There are currently two potential options for spring break that are up for votes. The first scenario includes a full spring break and with early release days for end-of-quarter planning, and the second includes a shortened spring break and no-school days for end-of-quarter planning. The calendar is not yet confirmed and the BOE must approve the new and innovative calendar for the 2019-2020 school year for it to be implemented.