As the threat of an imminent winter snowstorm was expected to hit around midday on Tuesday, Feb. 11, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) made a unique decision: three-hour early dismissal. 

This early release schedule entailed 45-minute class periods, with an open 30-minute lunch break at the end of the day. The school day at Rock Ridge High School following this schedule started at 9:30 a.m., per usual, and ended at 1:18 p.m.. 

Student opinion on whether or not this scheme is superior to a snow day or not remained divided. Some students expressed appreciation towards this schedule, stating that it increased their motivation. “I think I prefer the schedule to a snow day because, with a two-hour delay, I feel like I’m not really doing anything in the mornings,” freshman Antara Gollamala said. “But for a three-hour early dismissal, I feel like when I get home, I’m actually going to  get things done.”

Other students showed a strong negative reaction towards this timetable, stating that it was not useful or beneficial. “I believe we should have gotten school off,” sophomore Michelle Gohar said. “I mean, who goes to school for three hours?” You get 30 minutes in your class, and then that’s it. We might as well have taken the whole day off.”

The logic behind having a schedule such as this checks out, as the regular dismissal time for LCPS is 4:18 PM, which would mean that students would be returning home within the window of the storm. Ending at 1:18 PM would allow for staff and students to get home without any difficulties and risks, but there were a multitude of issues that arose due to this three-hour and 48-minute school day. 

Although this unconventional timing sounds stressful for students, some found that this scheduling was not as bad as they thought it would be. This mainly was because teachers altered the amount of classwork students had to complete significantly. “They made the material simpler and gave us less [of it], so it didn’t really disrupt anything,” Golamalla said. Junior Karthik Mittadhoddi also expressed a similar sentiment. “I think overall it was fun because teachers did fun activities [in their classes],” Mittadhoddi said. 

Others found the modified class lengths a disturbance. “It was like all the teachers were just trying to rush and get in their lessons they had planned,” freshman Khanak Kothari said. “They rushed through it a lot, and people didn’t understand, they didn’t take in the knowledge.” Kothari also noted a disturbance in her testing schedule. “My history teacher canceled a reading quiz we were supposed to take.”

As for lunch, the allocated time was 30 minutes for a school-wide lunch as opposed to the A, B, and C lunch shifts Rock Ridge usually follows. This school-wide lunch entailed a crowded cafeteria that could not accommodate all of Rock Ridge, resulting in the main gym also being opened for student seating, very long and hectic lunch lines, and in general, a disorderly environment. “It [lunch] was very chaotic,” Kothari said. “It was kind of hard to find a place to sit.” 

Overall, there was a very striking mixed reaction to this schedule. Some students didn’t mind the timetable at all, finding that their coursework and assignments had been shifted to accommodate the shortened hours However, some students found this schedule to be unconventional and unnecessary. 

“I hate the three-hour closure [schedule],” Gohar said. “The three-hour closure schedule should not exist. We should have gotten a snow day.”