Reading, writing — or sledding?

For many, snow days are nostalgic memories of snowman building, snowball fights and hot chocolate away from homework, math lessons and classroom drudgery.

But with growth and evolution of remote learning and state mandates for a required number of school days, more districts are looking at whether to have students log in online for classes when snowstorms, icy roads and bad weather curtail in-person learning. At the same time, changing climate patterns and trends toward bigger, more destructive storms and extreme weather events can pose the question more often -- or could result in more prolonged power outages that render remote learning useless.

The winter storms and frigid temperatures that swept from Texas to New England in late January and extended power outages across the South exemplified that climate trend and its potential for strings of snow days off from schools.

Adri Westlake, a Maryland education consultant, said bigger winter storms propelled by the changing climate and weather patterns can result in more inclement weather days.

“Many districts have had to extend their snow-day closures, either to give building maintenance staff time to inspect buildings or for custodial staff to clear walkways,” said Westlake, a former math teacher who owns and operates Adri Westlake Educational Consulting in suburban Howard County, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

“I think ‘day off’ snow days will continue to be relevant, although I also believe school districts and also county governments will need to revisit how they handle inclement weather, particularly as weather extremes become more common due to climate change,” she said.

Jafeth Sanchez, an education professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, still sees many districts sticking with traditional approaches to winter weather and snow days.

"There is much to consider with these decisions," Sanchez said.

She said factors at play include technology access for students, "operational readiness" and "the practical realities that emergency snow days bring about in family households and school systems."

There are also memories of virtual learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. "During the pandemic, virtual days (could) be uneven in participation and instructional quality. When technology systems fail (e.g., logins, bandwidth, device issues), it can quickly become a lost day," Sanchez said.

'Clear operational divergence’

Nic Riemer, chief executive officer of the education technology firm The Invigilator, also does not expect snow days to disappear, but sees a “clear operational divergence” when it comes to inclement weather and whether to give students a day off or turn snow days into remote learning days.

“New York City Public Schools have shifted some snow-day closures into planned remote learning days, with devices issued and attendance expectations set, rather than treating the day as automatic time off. In those cases, the intent is to maintain continuity, align with local requirements and prioritize safety,” said Riemer, whose firm offers smartphone apps related to testing and assessments.

“At the same time, many other districts, particularly outside major metropolitan areas, continue to treat heavy snow as a classic closure and use built-in snow days instead of remote instruction, often because home access and participation cannot be assumed. This can be more acute in rural areas where broadband is patchy," Riemer said.

‘A day or two off to play in the snow’

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Gone are also the days of just assessing whether roads are too icy and weather is too rough for bus routes, Riemer said.

"Districts now have to weigh connectivity readiness, device access, staff capacity and participation equity in real time, alongside whether buses can run," he said. “Districts should shift from emergency remote reactions to planned remote readiness."

The school closures and remote learning missteps from the pandemic have dampened some enthusiasm for remote learning, especially in younger grades and in districts where internet access and family logistics are challenges.

“Anecdotally, it would seem that more schools are reverting back to snow days and, in some cases, assigning work like pre-reading to complete at home,” Ed Kim, vice president for education and training for Coding Ninjas, an Atlanta-based education franchiser specializing coding classes.

He said remote classes are brought into the picture when snow days start to add up and push against state-mandated school years.

Still, Kim sees many parents and school kids liking the nostalgia and fun of snow days.

“For the students, it’s nice to give them a day or two off to play in the snow. When snow falls or inclement weather strikes, the first thing on a family’s mind isn’t school work. Safety or fascination comes first, depending on the weather,” he said.

'Continuity, rather than cancellation’

Niyoka McCoy, chief learning officer at Stride Inc., a Florida-based education firm that offers online learning options for public schools, said more districts are exploring ways to avoid canceled and lost school days.

“Districts are increasingly focused on continuity, rather than cancellation. Weather disruptions don’t pause learning expectations for students or work responsibilities for families, and school systems are responding to that reality,” she said.

“More districts are using remote learning as a way to maintain instructional momentum during inclement weather while reducing the burden on families. The conversation has shifted from ‘Do we close?’ to ‘How do we stay connected and learning, even when conditions change?’” McCoy said.

She also doesn’t expect snow days to go away completely, but sees a landscape where their impacts on child care and logistics are in the conversation.

“Snow days aren’t disappearing, but they’re no longer the default solution. For many families, an unexpected day off creates logistical challenges, rather than relief. What’s evolving is the expectation that learning systems should be resilient and adaptable. Remote learning gives schools options, allowing them to preserve instructional time without extending the school year or introducing additional disruption,” she said.

Riemer agrees.

“Districts should shift from emergency remote reactions to planned remote readiness. That starts with setting clear rules ahead of time on when remote learning is permitted under state law and what counts toward instructional minutes,” he said.

‘A lot of work remains’

Sanchez said remote learning still has a ways to go.

Sanchez said educators are still learning lessons from and trying to overcome remote hurdles they saw during the early pandemic.

“If districts want remote learning days in place of snow days, a lot of work remains in exploring possibilities,” she said, noting that broadband internet access, access to child care and uncertainty about when emergency instruction might be needed all need to be addressed. "If more states and their educational systems expect to clarify rules for emergency virtual instruction, one major lesson learned during the pandemic was that existing disparities were exacerbated."