As generous as MCPS has been with snow days and delays this winter, the county wouldn’t grant students and teachers any extra sleep Wednesday morning, when a minor but timely snowstorm made getting to school at 7:25 a.m. much more difficult than usual. Students and teachers experienced traffic delays and accidents, but MCPS officials stand firm in their belief that they made the right decision.

“We have to make calls about delays and closures no later than 4:30 a.m. and based on the information we had then, we felt that staff and students could safely get to school and have a meaningful day of instruction,” MCPS spokesperson Dana Tofig said in an email interview.

The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang had forecasted snow accumulations of one to two inches, starting around 5 a.m. and tapering off by 10:30 a.m. And at 9:20 a.m., the Capital Weather Gang reported a total accumulation of 1.5 inches in Bethesda. This timing could have made roads even more dangerous after a two-hour delay, MCPS chief operation officer Larry Bowers said.

“A delay wouldn’t have made a difference,” said Bowers, one of the lead MCPS officials involved with weather decisions.

After MCPS crushed students’ hopes of extra sleep, snowy conditions and slick roads created problems for drivers and caused many students and teachers to arrive after the first period bell.

Fifty students signed in late to school this morning due to sickness, doctor’s appointments and car troubles, but attendance secretary June Williams said she presumes many of the late arrivals were actually due to problems driving in the snow. Even more students showed up late to class without signing in.

Senior Rachel Bird said her usual commute to school took 27 minutes rather than the usual eight. She also saw a car fishtail off River Rd. and another car flipped over.

Senior Lucas Schoch had to return home to switch cars because his Toyota Corolla couldn’t make it up Rayburn Rd. Other seniors reported skidding, massive traffic and even minor accidents.

Senior Sarah Barr Engel, an editor for The Black & White, got in a minor accident while turning off Pyle Rd. onto River Rd.

“I tried to brake, but I just kept going straight,” she said. “It was very scary because I could see myself going forward and I couldn’t do anything to stop the car.”

Both cars emerged with minimal damage and nobody was hurt in the accident. Barr Engel’s father came to the scene and drove her the rest of the way to school, although by then she had missed first period.

Teachers, many of whom have longer commutes than students, also experienced difficulties in the snow. The English and math department heads reported that five English teachers and three math teachers came late due to the snow. English teacher Todd Michaels said it took him two hours to get to school after dropping off his children.

Special education English teacher Phyllis Levine said her normal commute of 15 to 20 minutes was extended to 90, but she recognizes that she should have left home earlier to accommodate the situation.

“I should have just gotten up earlier and inspected the traffic,” she said. “Where I come from, they don’t close schools unless there’s at least six inches on the ground.”

Bowers agreed that people should leave the house earlier when there are difficult road conditions.

“When we have situations like this,” Bowers said in a phone interview, “people need to give themselves a little more time.”