The Virginia Department of Education requires public schools to have a minimum of 180 school days. This year, with all the snow Fairfax County has faced, it has turned into quite a struggle to fit all of those days in without extending the school year too far.

On Monday Feb. 17, also known as Presidents Day, a national holiday, the majority of Fairfax County students were in school.

The majority of other public school students in D.C, Maryland, and Virginia were not.

Of the 133 Virginia school districts, each of which suffered through the various “snow-pocalypses” and “polar vortexes,” only five had to make up school days on Presidents Day, and as you may have guessed, Fairfax County was one of them.

Fairfax County Public Schools makes room for three snow/ make up days in their schedule. Loudoun County, our neighbors just to the west, make room for 15.

Montgomery County Public Schools make room for five snow/makeup days.

Why does Fairfax County have so little room for snow days even though, on multiple occasions, our school calendar has been considerably changed to accommodate inclement weather?

Not enough snow/ makeup days is not the only problem that lies in the Fairfax County school calendar. This year, most Fairfax County and Loudoun County seniors will graduate around the time of June 18, about 20 days after our Montgomery County senior neighbors.

Those seniors, who will graduate almost a month before us, started school only about six days before us. Yes, seniors who started in late August will graduate in late May and will have more snow days than us.

Overall, Fairfax County holds an outdated calendar. Being we were one of five schools in Virginia to have school on Presidents Day, it is safe to say that something needs to change.

Loudoun County, while still abiding by the “Kings Dominion Law,” has found the best way to schedule their schools. Their calendar has endured the most snow days without extending the school calendar.

To make the calendar more modern to the increasing amount of snow received each year and the other school calendars among DC, Maryland, and Virginia, Fairfax County, for the upcoming school year, FCPS must modify its calendar.