The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

Point-Counterpoint: Board of Ed. Makes Right Call in Cancelling School

The Board of Education made the right decision in closing schools on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. The significance of this moment in American history coupled with the logistical nightmare it would be to open schools warrants the closing of MCPS. We must make the most of the unique opportunity presented to us due to our proximity to Washington, D.C. and we must  embrace our day off by attending or watching the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States.

It is impossible to ignore the impact this day will have on  history and our lives; the election of  Obama is an event that will shape not only our lives, but the fate of our country. We receive the day off on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in order to honor the man who did so much for the Civil Rights Movement, so shouldn’t we also have a day off in order to commemorate and appreciate the inauguration of the first African-American President?

Students should have the right to attend or watch this historic event. We have only had 43 presidents in our entire history as a nation so it stands to reason that the public school system, run by the government, should let us have the day off in order to fully appreciate and get the most out of such an unique event. As a government-run system, MCPS has the responsibility to treat Inauguration Day this upcoming January as an opportunity for students to learn outside the classroom. Having school on a day where so much more could be learned by watching or attending the ceremony is unjustifiable. The purpose of the public school system is to ensure that every child in America has the opportunity to be educated. What better way to learn than through first-hand experience of the way our political process works?

Incidentally, inauguration happens to fall in the middle of semester exam week. The original schedule for that day was to have an exam from 7:25 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., followed by a make-up exam period. However, according to Principal Christopher Garran, each  school would have to have an entire additional day devoted to a make-up exam period due to the large number of people that would be “sick” or making use of the excused absence that day.  Trying to schedule two exams for the same period makes no sense when the school system could simply close down and reschedule the morning exam for another day.               Logistically speaking, closing schools would make a lot more sense in terms of reducing traffic from students, faculty and busses so more effort can be devoted to accommodating the millions who plan to attend inauguration. It would also eliminate the issue of student and faculty absences on an exam day.

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“From a management perspective there are a lot of possible issues that closing schools allows us to avoid,” said Garran.

Though some argue that given today’s economic climate and the emphasis that MCPS has placed on conserving funds, schools should remain open as a means to save money. It costs MCPS around $600,000 to cancel school on any given school day. Let’s face the facts though, we all live in or work for a school district that cancels school for a mere three or four inches of snow. I choose to view this cancellation as an investment in education rather than a “waste of money.” By giving students the opportunity to watch political process in action and history in the making, the school district is giving students an opportunity to learn outside the classroom and be a part of the world outside the walls of WJ. 

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