This Tuesday the BOE (Board of Education) of Montgomery County decided to make an official statement concerning the closing of all MCPS (Montgomery County Public Schools) on Inauguration Day (the 20th of January, 2009) when the new president of The United States of America will be inaugurated.
Besides this date the resolution, proposed by Christopher Barclay (the member of BOE) on the 18th of November, implies the decision of cancelling school classes on all the future Inauguration Days. This means that the students of MCPS will have an official day-off every time when the new president will be inaugurated.
The eight board members passed the resolution in response to thousands of requests from teachers, parents and students to cancel school in celebration of the historic inauguration. "It became clear that students and staff wanted to take part in the ceremonies, to go out on the mall or spend time with their families," Barclay said. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) joins the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and Prince George's, St. Mary's, Charles, Fairfax, Arlington and Loudoun County Public Schools in canceling classes on Jan. 20
The cancellation will require county officials to alter first semester exam schedules. Blair administrators are waiting for instructions from the BOE before they announce the new exam schedule, according to administrative secretary Cherrie Avery.
MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast recommended that schools remain open on Inauguration Day in a Nov. 15 memorandum to the BOE. Weast expressed his concern that school cancellations would impose a large financial burden on the county. "Should we use one of the four contingency plans for Jan. 20, 2009, and need more than three days for weather-related closings this winter, the day would need to be made up, resulting in a cost of approximately $600,000," he wrote in the memorandum. Weast was also opposed to closing schools on the grounds that childcare would be difficult to obtain for many students, and expressed his concern that cancellations would have a negative impact on the 36,000 students who rely on free and reduced-price meals provided by MCPS.
Board members discussed the concerns raised in Weast's memorandum, according to Barclay. "We still have to decide what members of our staff will be paid and who will not be paid - logistical issues," he said.
Financial concerns notwithstanding, Barclay believes the BOE made the right decision. "It was a unanimous vote. All of us thought it was important to honor this historic event," he said.
Citizens had been vocal in their support of a cancellation, signing online petitions and sending emails urging board members to cancel school in honor of the inauguration. Walter Johnson High School junior Laura Epstein authored an online petition that accumulated nearly 3,500 signatures in the hopes of swaying the board. "The petition shows them how many students and teachers are really excited about the inauguration," she said.
Barclay believes that students will benefit from having the day off on future inaugurations. "When the first female president is elected, students will be able to see it," he said.
The parents of the kids attending 2 rural schools - Goodsprings and Mount Charleston Elementary Schools – are disturbed because CCSD (Clark County School District) representatives informed about their intention to close these small schools. According to CCSD officials’ statement they are going to save money for other schools of this district in such way. But the parents are not agree with such decision of local authorities and intend to protest against the closure of the schools. As parents told in the interview to...
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