Reports of the snow day鈥檚 death are greatly exaggerated.
After 2020鈥檚 rapid, rocky shift to remote learning, some parents and educators predicted the traditions of a snow day鈥攅xciting, impromptu sled rides and cozy time with family鈥攚ould be replaced forever with virtual lessons at home.
Campbell鈥檚 Soup got out its crystal ball, launching a marketing campaign to 鈥渟ave the snow day.鈥�
But as winter weather sparked disruptions and dangerous road conditions as far south as Texas this month, many educators reported that their districts called full days off鈥攚ith no Chromebooks or Zoom classrooms in sight.
In interviews and replies to social media queries, some teachers and administrators pointed to the logistical challenges of ad hoc remote learning setups. Some said state laws limit their ability to teach online, even for short periods. And still others said remote learning would only kick in in the case of repeated or extended closures.
鈥淪now days are magical and allow for much-needed play, especially for older students,鈥� Maryland high school teacher Rebekah , formerly known as Twitter.
A fresh wrinkle in the snow-day decision
The virtual learning conundrum has added a fresh wrinkle to what was already a fraught decision for district leaders: when to cancel school for inclement weather.
The call on school cancellations presents a balancing act of conflicting logistical issues and public opinions, superintendents said. In geographically large districts, the quality of road conditions can vary greatly from one neighborhood to the next. Some parents appreciate a day of watching cartoons with pajama-clad kids; others who still have to work struggle to find childcare at the last minute.
If leaders call too many snow days, they may have to cut into planned summer breaks to make up time at the end of the year. And if they鈥檙e too stingy, they may see upticks in absences during inclement weather.
In Houston, state-selected Superintendent Mike Miles drew pushback from the city鈥檚 teachers association on Jan. 17 when he said he regretted closing schools for winter weather.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure many of us do know about poverty,鈥� Miles said in , a local news station. 鈥淭here were kids yesterday who did not eat a hot meal. There were kids yesterday who were left alone by themselves at home. There were kids babysitting siblings when they were young.鈥�
The remote learning question presents similar tensions for district leaders. On the one hand, online lessons may help minimize learning disruptions as educators continue urgent academic recovery work. But researchers, educators, and parents have questioned the effectiveness of remote instruction. And calling a remote learning day may leave schools on the hook for low virtual attendance if students don鈥檛鈥攐r can鈥檛鈥攍og on.
鈥淚 support teaching and learning every day,鈥� Winchester, Va., teacher Michael Siraguse after his district switched to virtual learning Jan. 16.
鈥淰irtual days have their pros and cons, but using them to attempt to keep students in a routine is helpful, as is having digital tools for them to work asynchronously,鈥� he wrote.
Other educators said they are glad their districts did not attempt online lessons during inclement weather.
鈥淚t boggles my mind that we know virtual learning was a problem [during COVID-19 closures], yet have decided it鈥檚 a solution for snow,鈥� Virginia middle school teacher . 鈥淯nless there are extensive [snow] days, this should not be an option for public schools. It鈥檚 inequitable and robs kids of a joyful part of childhood.鈥�
Using e-learning to minimize disruption
Some district leaders said it鈥檚 not worth scrambling to stand up virtual classrooms at the first sight of snowflakes. But, if bad weather drags on for days, their online learning policies kick in.
鈥淲e typically have a full day off up until two snow days,鈥� Barbara Mullen, the superintendent of Rush-Henrietta, N.Y., school district, told Education Week. 鈥淭he third day is virtual learning.鈥�
Losing too many instructional days during the school year might cause the district to extend the end-of-year calendar too far, she said.
鈥淯nlike many districts in the south, we start after Labor Day,鈥� Mullen said. 鈥淚f we had pure snow days, we wouldn鈥檛 get summer until after July 1st.鈥�
Complications with remote learning
There are barriers to e-learning beyond public opinion, educators said.
Amid frustration over extended COVID-19 closures, some states enacted laws that restricted districts鈥� ability to use virtual or non-traditional lessons. That鈥檚 the case in Massachusetts, where state officials that remote learning would not count toward schools鈥� mandatory 180-day attendance minimums. Those policies can tie districts鈥� hands.
鈥淚鈥檇 like a little more examination of the issue, rather than wholesale dismissal,鈥� Tracy O鈥機onnell Novick, a Massachusetts parent.
Still, others said a virtual learning day wouldn鈥檛 make sense during bad weather now that in-person learning is the norm during the rest of the school year. Some schools don鈥檛 make it a habit to send Chromebooks home with elementary school students, teachers said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also had a lot of power outages and internet outages with this [storm] system, further reducing potential access,鈥� Portland, Ore., teacher Dena Lambert
Several district leaders said they wouldn鈥檛 consider online learning until they used up snow days that are already 鈥渂uilt in鈥� to school calendars. With that option, districts can close schools for a certain number of days without risking the need to add additional class days at the end of the year.
Others without such flexibilities told Education Week in-person learning is worth the calendar shift.
鈥淲e called an emergency day that will be made up at the end of the year,鈥� Rochester, Ill, Superintendent Dan Cox . 鈥淥ur district prioritizes in-person instruction and believes that is the best path for us to deliver the highest quality education for our students.鈥�
