The Frederick County Board of Education has taken away student vacation days in lieu of an abundance of snow days. Middletown High School students and staff have varying opinions on the added school days.
The BOE added Friday, March 21, which was a teacher work day, and Monday, April 14, which was the first day of spring break. They also have requested a state waiver allowing Frederick County Public Schools to be open on Monday, April 21, which was the last day of spring break. The Board also voted that if additional school days are necessary, the schools will also be open on Tuesday, April 15, the second day of spring break, and Thursday, June 12, which is the first day of summer break. Since that decision, there have been three additional snow days.
The BOE will meet on March 12 to finalize plans for making up the lost days, including the last one, which was not part of their original contingency plan.
Some MHS students were hopeful that the make-up days would be added to the end of the school year. Seniors do not have to make up extra days at the end of the year. Emily Escobar said, “Being a senior, I’m very angry because seniors do not want to stay any longer then we are supposed to.”
Many students like Middletown freshman Liz Meighan said that they “would rather make up the snow days now, instead of having to go more days in the summer.”
This opinion is echoed by MHS junior Kaela Pratt, who doesn’t mind having so many snow days but concedes that making up the days over spring break is “disappointing because the weather is nicer.”
Other students, such as MHS sophomore Tori Isleib, don’t mind the added school days because they will be out of school anyway due to vacations.
Many of the MHS students and staff are glad for the placement of added days. Allison Runnells, junior, said, “I feel that taking away days in the school year was a good decision because lengthening the school year into the summer is stressful on students and could ruin summer plans.”
Lindsey Purcell, a teacher at MHS, agreed and added, “I don’t mind the snow days just yet, but if more snow days come, there will be a problem. I think because we started earlier than any other county in Maryland, we should be allowed more snow days.”
