LCPS students haven’t had school on Monday for almost a year. No, it’s not that they’ve had some crazy string of snow days or federal holidays that kept us out of the virtual classroom—this was just part of the planned school year. 

The thought from the LCPS School Board was that students would be split up alphabetically. The first group of students would go in-person on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and then switch to distance learning on Thursdays and Fridays. For the second group of students, it was vice versa. 

This schedule left out Mondays, so the School Board decided they would make it an asynchronous learning day. Students could meet with teachers and work on assignments for their classes but wouldn’t have any live classes,neither in person nor online. This drastically changed the way many students managed the time they spent on school work. 

Students found Mondays were a refreshing break from the draining week of online school. 

“I like having Mondays off because it gives me time to catch up with school work,” junior Ethan Supplee said. 

For Supplee, the free time on Monday is an opportunity to slow down and finish his work without the stress of having to hop on live classes. 

For other students, Monday is a great opportunity to not even worry about any school work at all. 

“On Mondays, I like to go to the gym and just be active, along with reading,” sophomore Nolan Riccobene said. 

Riccobene uses the free time on Monday to keep both his physical and mental state healthy in preparation for a grueling week of school, where he sometimes spends 28 hours on his computer.  

Students aren’t the only ones who are affected by this new schedule. Teachers have had to adjust as well. Even though, for them, it was still a day that was mainly filled with school related events, it was a nice break from all the action. 

“I very much appreciate asynchronous Mondays as a time to collaborate with peers, refine the week’s plans, and connect with students and parents,” Loudoun Valley English teacher Heather Olis said.  

For teachers, the majority of meetings with students usually come on Mondays during “Office Hours,” which were introduced this year. Each teacher has a specific time slot in which they are online in their Google Meet. Students, knowing the time slots for each of their teachers, can come in any time during those slots to ask questions or discuss grades. It streamlines the process for students who look to meet with multiple teachers on Mondays. 

Students and teachers both agree that the new Monday schedule has shown positive effects on the overall learning throughout the school. 

 “I think they should keep no school on Monday because it’s beneficial to both students and teachers,” sophomore Violet Wood said.

“I would love to see asynchronous Mondays continue next year or some variation of the concept [however wishful that may be],” Olis said via email. “I believe that a day at the start of the week to tackle school-related tasks without the responsibility of attending classes can be beneficial to both teachers and students in terms of productivity, organization and communication.”  

Teachers and students have made their voices heard, but now it’s up to the School Board to decide whether or not the county will continue this same schedule next year. 

Along with the new schedule came a new thought—year-round school anybody? Year-round school, or a balanced calendar schedule is a system in which students are in school for an entirety of the year. This entire year includes three-week breaks every nine weeks for students. 

While it seems unconventional, many education experts have touted the fact that it reduces summer learning loss. Governor Ralph Northam had previously entertained the idea in January as a way to help the families of students whose learning has been obstructed by COVID-19. 

“Our children have suffered from COVID-19 as have our families,” Northam said.

The year-round school system has been on the rise around the country. According to the National Association for Year-Round Education, approximately four percent of schools follow a year-round schedule totalling almost three million students. However, students and teachers here in Northern Virginia aren’t ready for such a drastic change. 

“I think year-round school is way too much for everyone,” Wood said. “They shouldn’t implement it because it limits students’ and teachers’ abilities to have lives away from school.”

Wood believes that both teachers and students need separation between school and home and year round school wouldn’t allow that and Olis reiterates that sentiment. 

“I believe that both students’ and teachers’ mental health would decline if we stripped away a full summer break,” Olis said. “Year-round schooling would also cramp the opportunity for both students and teachers to fully rejuvenate physically, mentally and creatively.”

Governor Northam has backed off this idea of year-round school and turned to extending the school year into the summer. In a press release on Feb. 5,, Northam announced “that his Administration will be working to support local decisions around expanding summer learning opportunities. While the Commonwealth is not mandating extended learning time during the summer.” 

With the status of school next year in limbo, Northam has reverted to a “support not mandate” policy. While he hopes county schools systems around Virginia will add summer school to their schedules, he isn’t forcing them to. 

While year-round school seems highly unlikely now for Loudoun County students, another schedule change is unavoidable. The uncertainty that next year holds could again test the patience of some teachers, parents and students.