Montgomery County Public Schools issued a community-wide apology on Tuesday after announcing a two hour delay at 4:55am (with the text to the community coming at approximately 5:01am), a decision that left many families scrambling to adjust morning plans. In a letter sent to all MCPS households, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor acknowledged the widespread frustration surrounding the timing of the call and the handling of before-school childcare.
“I want to take a moment to acknowledge the frustration and disruption caused by this morning’s weather-related delay,” Taylor wrote. “Making the call to delay or close sometimes means that we are working with late or imperfect information. And like today, this often means that there is disruption and inconvenience that follows when we have to make a call later than we’d like.”
Tuesday’s delay also resulted in the cancellation of some morning childcare programs provided by community partners at MCPS schools. The district said the cancellation was made in error and should have been a delay rather than a full closure. “I deeply apologize for the added stress that this caused to an already chaotic morning,” Taylor wrote. “We are truly sorry for the confusion.”…