Last Day Of School May Change With This Bill

ROCKVILLE, MD — The calendar for the Montgomery County Public School system may get one more change, if lawmakers decide to pass a piece of legislation.

The latest update by Del. Anne Kaiser revealed that the measure had passed into the State Senate after having successfully cleared the House of Delegates.

"They have to pass it in identical fashion before the Governor has the opportunity to sign it into law," reads a Facebook post issued by Kaiser.

The current last day of school for students is June 26, after the latest weather impacts kept doors closed Feb. 23.

However, that would immediately change if the legislation is approved by the Senate chamber and signed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

"To be clear, if this bill becomes law, school will not be extended to June 25th as announced," Kaiser said, noting that nine state Senate lawmakers have preliminarily backed the measure.

Related: MCPS Extends School Year After Snow Make-Up Day Backlash

The legislation, which is currently before the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, would allow MCPS schools to meet a minimum number of instructional hours rather than extending the calendar.

The school system has previously said that it "already exceeds the minimum hours requirement each year."

The MCPS calendar has been under the spotlight for weeks.

Earlier, the county backtracked a decision after it received backlash for using March 20 as a make-up snow day. March 20 marks Eid al-Fitr, a major Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan.