Is Remote Learning Burying Snow Days? It Depends on Where You Live
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Snow days, a cherished experience for generations of students in the northern United States, may appear to be fading into the past. For almost a century, schools have canceled or delayed classes due to heavy or dangerous snowfall, creating unsafe travel conditions. As a result, schools would schedule "makeup" days to compensate for the missed time.
However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, schools switched to remote learning to ensure continued education in the face of unsafe conditions. With students already learning from home, nearly 40% of schools decided to forgo traditional snow days and instead continue with remote learning. This led to predictions of the end of snow days, supported by the advancements in online education.
Nevertheless, data collected from policy records of the 35 states with the highest average annual snowfall indicates that while more schools are opting for remote learning days instead of cancelling classes, the traditional snow day is still prevalent.
Snow days continue to exist due to nostalgia, persistent concerns about the effectiveness and accessibility of online learning, and the belief that families and children require these unscripted, unplugged breaks.
An alternative solution arises.
School closures due to inclement weather have a negative impact on student learning.
For example, studies conducted in Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia have revealed that with each additional inch of snow, there is less continuity in learning, making it less likely for elementary school students to pass math assessments.
Even before the pandemic, 14 states had policies in place that offered alternatives to closing schools during inclement weather. Starting in 2011, states like Kentucky, New Hampshire, Kansas, Missouri, and West Virginia allowed students to complete preassembled packets of work at home instead of declaring a snow day.
As technology advanced, schools began replacing take-home packets with online assignments and instruction.
In 2017, Minnesota authorized the use of five e-learning days per year, followed by Illinois in 2019. Pennsylvania implemented a policy in 2019 that allowed 85% of public school districts to provide five days of remote instruction.
During the pandemic, schools improved their ability to teach online and recognized the opportunity to minimize school closures during winter storms. With most states authorized to provide remote instruction due to COVID-19, schools started utilizing remote learning for inclement weather as well.
In 2022, the New York Board of Regents approved the use of remote teaching instead of canceling classes on snow days. Prior to this decision, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks stated, "If a snow day occurs, we want to ensure that our children continue to learn," while adding, "so, sorry kids! No more snow days, but it’ll be beneficial for you!"
Seven other states modified their laws to allow remote learning. Maryland, for instance, now permits up to eight days of remote learning per year, with five of those days requiring live sessions with a teacher. Virginia’s new law allows for 10 remote learning days.
By the start of the 2022-2023 school year, over three-quarters of states with significant snowfall had implemented policies to reduce school closures, keep students learning, and avoid extending the school year into the summer. This is an increase from half of the states in the 2018-2019 school year.
For now: A blend of snow days and remote learning.
Among the states that allow remote learning for inclement weather, schools have adopted three distinct approaches: complete transition to online learning, preservation of traditional snow days, or a combination of both.
Only a few school systems, typically in metropolitan areas like St. Paul or St. Louis, have followed the lead of New York City in announcing plans to shift entirely to online learning during snow days. Additionally, many school districts in heavily snowy regions, such as Syracuse, New York, will not be utilizing remote learning days.
However, the most common approach nationwide will be a combination of remote learning and traditional snow days, depending on local conditions. For example, in Baltimore, the superintendent stated that remote learning would be used as a last resort once the five makeup days in the calendar had been exhausted. In West Virginia, schools will utilize a portion of their designated nontraditional instruction days but will reserve traditional snow days for students.
During this winter, many families are still anticipating the possibility of experiencing a snow day. When a massive storm hit western New York at the start of the 2022 winter season, with record-breaking snowfall of up to 6 feet, students in the area were filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, wondering if they would have a day off from school. While Buffalo Public Schools decided to switch to remote learning, their neighboring Niagara Falls decided to cancel classes altogether.
Although there may come a time when remote learning completely replaces snow days, for now, children can continue to engage in their beloved rituals in the hopes of having a day off. These rituals include flushing ice cubes down the toilet, wearing their pajamas inside-out, and placing spoons under their pillows. Their wishes extend beyond just a snow day, as they hope for a day without remote learning as well.
This article has been reprinted from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Please see the original article for reference.
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