MCPS built in 182 days into this school year calendar, two more than the 180-day state requirement, allowing for two closings due to inclement weather. So far this school year there have been two school cancellations, and for any future closures, MCPS will have to add an additional instructional day sometime in the remainder of the year.

If there would be another closure due to inclement weather, then the first day that would be added would be June 13, according to a Jan. 24 email from Superintendent Jack Smith. If there are two cancelled days, the last day of school would be June 14 and three would push up against June 15, the final day in Gov. Hogan’s calendar mandate. Any more than that would require the county to take days off spring break.

Principal Billie-Jean Bensen has been through this before, and is ready for the possibility of additional days and how an altered calendar will affect RHS.

“We’ve had this happen before, it won’t affect graduation, it won’t affect prom, we don’t have final exams anymore, so it doesn’t affect any final exams schedule, so I don’t see much of a change,” Bensen said.

Last year the county allotted four days for inclement weather; however, this year the school year started five days later–after Labor day per the governor’s state mandate–which limited flexibility in the calendar.