This weekend’s snowfall may not top the record 2016 blizzard that dropped 29 inches and closed schools for seven days in some areas, but it could force school districts to hold classes in mid-June.
Maryland law requires students to be in school for 180 days every year, so many districts design their calendars expecting to close for a few days of bad weather.
But, when a major storm blows through, they may have to add extra days to the school year or ask the state school board to give them a waiver to hold school on holidays, including Presidents Day and the Monday after Easter.
In December, the state board denied a request by Queen Anne’s and Garrett counties to hold school on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
A decade or more ago, when snow was more frequent, school systems set aside five to seven days for bad weather, then let students out earlier in June if they didn’t use them. But after years of mild weather most districts are adding only three days.
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The big question is whether schools will run out of bad weather days. Some districts could go to virtual instruction if the snow closure lasts into Thursday, but not all students in the state have laptops.
School facilities managers have spent all week preparing for the snow and ice.
Scott Washington, executive director of school facilities for Baltimore schools, said crews will be salting school parking lots and sidewalks Saturday and then watching to see when they can start plowing. About 100 city workers will be working to clear school campuses over the weekend.
The extreme cold that is expected to stay in the region could present challenges. Salt is effective only above 20 degrees, and making sidewalks and parking lots safe might take longer, according to Washington.
Extreme cold also makes running old heating systems inside aging schools more difficult, but schools are now making sure they are in running order, he said.
By 2 a.m. Monday, city school transportation teams will survey the roads and talk to facilities staff who have assessed the safety around buildings. The teams will give the CEO their recommendation on whether to close schools by 4:30 a.m.
“It’s been a very long time since we expected snow like this,” Washington said. “So we’ll we’ll see what actually materializes.”
Here’s what students and parents can expect in our region.
Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County schools baked three snow days into this year’s calendar, and all remain available.
No decisions on closing school will be made before the weekend, according to spokesperson Bob Mosier.
If schools are closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week — and all planned inclement weather days get used — schools could flip to virtual learning Thursday, Mosier said. Officials could seek a waiver from the state to reduce the number of days of instruction.
The last day of school is June 16, and Anne Arundel has not decided whether it would add days to the school year if it uses all the snow days.
Baltimore
Baltimore hasn’t used any of its three calendar days for bad weather. If school closes for a long period, the school system can begin virtual instruction or add days to the calendar, extending the school year past June 12.
Baltimore County
Baltimore County public schools have not closed for weather this school year, leaving three days for weather closures.
The last day of school for students is June 11. If all three days are used, the last day will be June 16. And, if bad weather strikes four or more days, students will switch to online learning.
Carroll County
Carroll County has four bad weather days built into the calendar and hasn’t used any. A long closure for a snowstorm would require it to add days to the end of the school year, which is currently June 12, or request a waiver from the state.
Harford County
Harford County Public Schools has a calendar solely for inclement weather, which lists the six weather makeup days at the end of June. New this year is the option to delay opening schools for three hours instead of one or two.
Harford schools have closed once this school year, on Dec. 2.
As it stands, the last day of school is June 15. If the five other makeup days are used, students won’t start summer break until June 24.
Harford does not have an online learning option if it uses up its snow days, a spokesperson said. In the past, the school system had to request a waiver from the state to be exempt from the requirement to have class 180 days.
Howard County
Howard County got lucky. Its schools are already closed Monday for students for a professional workday. The school system has three inclement weather days on the calendar and hasn’t used any.
The last day of school is scheduled for June 15, but it could be as late as June 18 if schools are closed for three days. If Howard schools close more than three times because of weather, the district will have to ask for a waiver or extend the school year even more.
The district does not switch to virtual learning because it does not have enough Chromebooks for each student to take home.
Montgomery County
Montgomery County schools, at least on Monday, won’t have to figure out whether to shut down — students are already off so teachers can work on end-of-term grading and planning. The district has two more emergency contingency days built into the calendar. Officials haven’t decided whether they would add days after the last scheduled day, which is June 17.
“We will provide the community with regular updates as the weather develops over the weekend and will announce any necessary closures as soon as possible,” spokesperson Liliana López said.
Prince George’s County
Prince George’s County schools has built into its calendar four makeup weather days, including March 20 and three days at the end of the school year. If it uses all of them in the storm, school will end June 17.
If schools are closed for more than four days, the county will find additional days within the calendar rather than extending the school year. The county does not expect to use virtual learning.
Banner reporters Jessica Calefati, Kristen Griffith, Jess Nocera and Talia Richman contributed to this article.
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This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.
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