Charles County Public Schools Adds May 8 After Snow Days Used; Virtual Learning Discussion Planned

LA PLATA, Md. — School will now be in session Friday, May 8, 2026, for students and teachers in Charles County Public Schools after an unusually active winter season forced the district to revise its academic calendar — and reignited debate over whether virtual learning should play a role in future inclement weather closures.

In addition to shifting the calendar, the board on Feb. 10, 2026, voted to host a virtual town hall to gather community input on whether remote instruction should be incorporated into long-term weather planning. A motion directing the superintendent to immediately develop a formal virtual instruction plan did not pass after several board members said they wanted to first hear from families and staff before moving forward with a structured proposal.

Members emphasized that any decision about implementing virtual learning should reflect community feedback.

Under Maryland law, virtual instruction may only be used after built-in inclement weather days are exhausted and must include at least four hours of live, synchronous instruction.

A key issue discussed was device access. The district no longer maintains a universal take-home laptop model at the elementary level, following the phase-out of its pandemic-era 1:1 device program. Board members cited concerns about limited device availability, internet reliability in rural areas, supervision for younger students and the fiscal impact of rebuilding a large-scale remote infrastructure.

The board also considered using Monday, April 6, 2026 — Easter Monday — as a make-up instructional day. That proposal did not pass, with members raising concerns about the state holiday designation, potential holiday pay implications for staff and previously scheduled family travel plans.

Meanwhile, neighboring St. Mary’s County Public Schools announced on Feb. 4 that schools will be open on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, as part of its own calendar adjustments. Because Presidents’ Day is a state holiday, the district must receive approval from the Maryland State Department of Education to operate schools on that date.

As a result of the approved changes, CCPS will now hold school on Friday, May 8. Additional June dates were converted to instructional days, shifting the final student day to Tuesday, June 16, 2026, and the last teacher day to Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

The renewed urgency stems from what district leaders described as a historic and unusual winter pattern. Multiple snow and ice events in late January and early February exhausted all four built-in inclement weather days originally scheduled in June.

Maryland law requires 180 instructional days for students. Districts may request a waiver from the Maryland State Department of Education only after using all built-in make-up days and demonstrating calendar adjustments.

Although Wes Moore declared a state of emergency for Jan. 24–26, that declaration does not waive the 180-day requirement.

CCPS has a town halls scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 7 p.m., which will be held virtually via Zoom and livestreamed on the CCPS website.

District officials said community feedback gathered through the town halls will help determine whether virtual learning should become part of CCPS’ long-term inclement weather strategy.

Watch the Feb. 10 Board of Education meeting below.

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