MCPS is assessing the impacts of the storm to determine when schools will reopen

After two days of closure due to the winter storm on Monday, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials are continuing to evaluate when schools can reopen, an MCPS official told Bethesda Today on Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm brought more than 5 inches of snow to the area, with Potomac receiving 8.3 inches, Rockville receiving 7.2 inches and Gaithersburg receiving 6.6 inches.

MCPS spokeswoman Liliana Lopez told Bethesda Today Tuesday morning that the district will hold several meetings throughout the day to discuss the status of snow removal efforts.

While MCPS intends to notify families of potential closures as quickly as possible, Lopez said low temperatures and the storm’s heavy rainfall, including ice, have made cleanup difficult.

According to the MCPS website, the district decides whether to close schools during inclement weather by using information from the National Weather Service, Accu-Weather and the news media and by inspecting roads, school driveways and sidewalks throughout the county. According to the website, the decision to close schools in the evening will be made by 7 p.m., but a morning decision can also be made by 5 a.m

The decision to close schools is always made for the entire school district, the website says, because many students are transported beyond their home school area.

Lopez said operations staff are currently inspecting areas such as MCPS bus depots throughout the county to determine the safety of roads and sidewalks.

The closure of school on Monday and Tuesday means MCPS has used both snow days scheduled in the 2024-2025 school year calendar. If schools remain closed for three or more days, the following make-up days are possible: January 29th, March 31st, June 6th, June 16th to 18th and June 20th and 23rd. The last day of school for students is scheduled for June 13th.

During the 2023-2024 school year, an additional snow day required a day of virtual school during which students were required to complete packets of schoolwork. Asynchronous Learning Day received mixed reviews. Parents argued it was a “mock school day,” while others took the opportunity to help their students with classwork.