The New Virtual Snow Day

The new Frederick County Public Schools virtual snow day policy is causing mixed reactions from the community, as the county moves forward to implement the plan across the schools.

This past November, The Maryland State Department of Education approved the request from FCPS to implement virtual snow days. This ensures that no extra days are added to the school year, which is scheduled to end June 1.

As the county prepares to implement the new policy, reactions from students and teachers came in a mixed bag.

“I just had virtual days so that’s what sucks,” said Kencel Price, a Frederick County student. “I like snow because it’s really cool to look at and always gets me in a cozy mood… I’ll just go outside and go sledding or build a snowman”. Most students feel that the virtual snow days would prevent them from enjoying their time in the snow.

Some, however, are content with the County’s decision. “Virtual snow days would be nice as they don’t take away from our schedule,” said Christian Zapata, another student. “I like to run around in the snow”. While snow activities may be limited, the virtual days do keep the school year on track, keeping all the days that would have been removed. The virtual policy will also be the first since the COVID-19 era, in which students had to attend class digitally.

Teachers, on the other hand, do not agree. “My cats gonna be lonely” said Matthew Myers, a teacher in the county. “I thought we were fine with the system we had now, instead we have to spend time at home working now too”. This policy comes after the recent teacher protest in Baltimore, in which teachers wore red to protest the pay in the county.

Regardless of when FCPS decides to implement this new policy, they can be rest assured that they will receive a surplus of feedback and criticism, positive and negative.