Today was Montgomery County’s first snow day of the year. Or at least it should have been. Unfortunately, this usually exciting day was overshadowed by the disappointment of attending a full day of school. At 6 p.m. last night, MCPS released a statement saying that they were closely monitoring the weather in case a delay or cancellation was necessary. When students woke up to snow on the ground, many were shocked to see the Code Green alert (indicating neither had been called). The lack of delay or cancellation today proved to be a huge threat to the safety and wellbeing of students, particularly during morning travel. This kind of weather calls for a school cancellation.
The biggest concern with snow — and the reason for many delays and cancellations — is road safety. This, too, was an issue today. Many students reported excess skidding, fishtailing, and lack of visibility while driving this morning. Junior Nick Sexton said, “I had some difficulties, especially on that hill next to the parking garage. I think there was a big strip of ice that a bunch of other students and I experienced sliding on. I happened to be a victim of the conditions this morning and unfortunately I’ve heard about other little crashes around the school.” Most high school students are brand new licensed drivers, with little to no experience driving in inclement weather. They should not be expected to navigate these conditions and MCPS is fully responsible for endangering their students by refusing to close schools.
MCPS needs to reevaluate their process for evaluating weather conditions. Sending students to school today turned what should have been an exciting winter milestone into a potentially catastrophic gamble.
