Last-minute snow day for Montgomery County Public Schools leaves families frustrated

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - It was a mad dash for families in Montgomery County this morning when what was supposed to be a school day turned into a last-minute snow day. 

The late notice and the reasoning behind the call have parents and students both questioning the decision.  

Many parents told FOX 5 that it was an unwelcome surprise this morning and say the district schools should have given them earlier notice than 7:22 a.m. that they’d have to make other arrangements for their kids Tuesday. 

While MCPS says it’s icy conditions at their buildings that made this necessary, FOX 5 didn’t see anybody working to clear ice in the parking lot at Richard Montgomery High School.

So now, Montgomery County has used both of its allotted snow days. They could make that up by using teacher development days or going virtual. 

MCPS says an examination of streets sidewalks and ground found the conditions "were not safe for bus drivers walkers and drivers." Some parents and students were not so concerned about the conditions or MCPS’s decision.

"Everybody already made plans and then it was like ‘ugh, we got the rug pulled out from under us.’ It’s the administration," one MCPS parent told FOX 5.

RELATED: DC snow forecast: How much Friday? Between a coating and 3 inches possible

"I go to school in the morning and there’s no one on the ground and I was the only person there with my kid," said another. 

But some students were looking on the bright side.

"I got ready, I went to sleep and I was studying last minute for nothing because we didn’t have school today," one MCPS 

FOX 5 heard on social media from people who called the closure "unacceptable" and frustrating. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich told FOX 5 today MCPS made the call "way too late" and the head of the county’s roads disputed the district’s claim that roads were in poor condition saying his crews had finished their work this morning.

"I don’t know how you’re supposed to make any arrangements for your kids for example. It just could have been handled better probably," Elrich said. 

"Our crews were mostly finished with most of their work going into yesterday evening and we moved into an ‘inspection and spot treatment’ mode," said Chris Conklin, Director of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation.

If Montgomery County does decide to go the virtual learning route to make up any future snow days or multi-day event, that too has proved problematic in other jurisdictions. Some parents in Anne Arundel County tell FOX 5 that technical problems prevented some students from taking part in that district.