Following the grueling pandemic, MCPS school work has only become harder and stricter. With tight deadlines, huge workloads and no retakes or curves, many students have found themselves struggling. At last, MCPS has taken note of the recent struggles of its students following the pandemic and has, for the first time, created a new policy intended to support the struggling student body.

On April 1, 2023, the MCPS board of superintendents announced that all outstanding  assignments can now be turned in late for full credit, even if it is from previous school years. Students have heavily praised the new ruling as they now have the ability to alter their grades from years past by simply turning in their late assignments. 

“My first-grade teacher was not the most thrilled when she saw me walking back into her classroom, but turning in my missing addition and subtraction test felt very rewarding,” WCHS senior Brendan Carnathan said. “Now that my elementary and middle school grades are getting bumped higher, I think I may actually have a shot at going to Harvard.”

Since implementing the new policy, there has been a 250% increase in graduates within MCPS, clearly proving the policy to be beneficial. For those students who have unfortunately had their work eaten by their pet dog, teachers are reprinting and distributing work. The hard work that was once done, but was lost at the fault of a pet’s meal, can now be redone on a brand-new sheet of paper. 

“Thank goodness for this new policy,” WCHS senior Samantha Loube said. “My dog ate every single homework assignment of mine from pre-calc but now I might be able to bump my grade up to an A once I turn in all my missing work.” 

Students who have already graduated from MCPS are also utilizing the new policy. College students who recently graduated, as well as graduates from the 1900s, are coming back to turn in late work as well. The GPA boost from the work they can now turn in has proved helpful in job searches. 79% of the adult graduates who have come back to turn in work have gone on to become fortune 500 billionaires, with huge boosts coming from their newly increased middle school GPA.

“The drive from College Park wasn’t too bad,” WCHS graduate Spencer Nash said. “It was definitely worth it. Catching up with Rosie was rejuvenating, but being able to turn in my review of “Casablanca” was even better. I’m so glad to finally have a solid grade in SMAC and I’m sure Rosie didn’t mind seeing me again.” 

Although students adore the new policy, teachers on the other hand are not the biggest fan. Having to grade even more work from students they already dislike is quite a hardship for them, and seeing the smiling faces of their past students is even worse. 

“I have nothing to be upset about,” WCHS teacher Mr. Rosenthal said with a decisive straight face under his KN95 mask. “I love this new policy. Absolutely love it. Honestly, this is the greatest new rule in any school system ever. This is just awesome.”