MCPS Extends School Year After Snow Make-Up Day Backlash

ROCKVILLE, MD — Schools within the Montgomery County Public School system have a new last day of classes after leadership reversed a previous decision to use a religious holiday as a make-up day.

As the calendar currently stands, the last day of school for MCPS students will be on June 25, which will be considered an early release day.

Other new changes to the school year are as follows:

• Thursday, June 18 (full day)
• Monday, June 22 (full day)
• Wednesday, June 24 (early release)

MCPS noted that for Arcola Elementary School, the last day of school will be June 17 as it follows an innovative school year calendar.

The latest changes to the 2025-2026 school year, which were adopted late Thursday, came after a major snowstorm in January forced MCPS to temporarily close schools to students.

The snow days meant the school system would need to make up a total of four days to meet state regulations requiring 180 instructional days every year.

In its efforts to account for the four days, the system previously stated in early February that it would extend the school year by one day, and that March 20 would be changed to an instructional day.

This year, however, March 20 marks Eid al-Fitr, a major Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan.

While MCPS stated students observing the holiday would receive an excused absence, the backlash was swift as local families and organizations found the MCPS decision disappointing.

Related:

• New Snowfall Totals Released For Coastal Storm Targeting MD
• Montgomery Co. Schools Share Plan To Make Up Snow Days

In response to the Thursday adjustments, Zainab Chaudry, the director of the Maryland division of the Council on American Islamic Relations, told Patch she appreciated the fast-tracked work to ensure Eid al-Fitr was reverted to a non-instructional day.

“We extend our gratitude to Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor and the Montgomery County Board of Education for working diligently with the Montgomery County Delegation to find a solution that protects both instructional integrity and religious accommodation," Chaudry said.

"Eid is a sacred holiday for thousands of MCPS families, and CAIR recognizes that due to the State Department of Education’s prohibitive policies, substantial effort had to be invested into restoring it on the calendar as a non-instructional day."

In a release, MCPS explained that its efforts to receive waivers for the two other make-up days were denied Feb. 10 by the state.

"The hardest part about meeting these requirements is the delicate balance between instructional time and student and staff safety when there is inclement weather," reads the release.

"We wish this year’s calendar saga was less complicated and less uncertain - unfortunately, it is not."

With weekend snow in the forecast, MCPS acknowledged that further adjustments could be a possibility.

However, it also highlighted that legislation pending in the State General Assembly could potentially allow the school district to meet a minimum number of instructional hours, which the county regularly exceeds. This would prevent MCPS from having to issue extensions to the school year, if the measure is passed.