Should School Be In Session On “Snow Days”?

New York City public school students had a remote learning “snow day” on Monday, January 26—the first of its kind since early February 2024. For many, it was reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Stuyvesant students already had the day off because of a Professional Development Day, they still felt the impacts of remote learning through the experiences of their siblings and dealt with transportation delays due to the heavy snowfall. For some, a remote school day was a necessary, practical compromise for the sake of meeting the mandated 180 days of school; for others, it raised concerns of whether a true “snow day” could ever occur again. 

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) began to experiment with a “remote learning pilot” program during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The NYSED stated that schools could use remote instruction as an alternative to in-person instruction. However, remote learning can be burdensome for guardians, students, and teachers. To ensure that districts don’t abuse this policy, the NYSED emphasized that asynchronous learning can only be utilized in times of strict emergencies, such as severe weather, building closures, or health hazards. 

In 2022, it was announced that on days with snowfall heavy enough to prevent students and staff from coming into school, students would participate in remote instruction. This is because remote days can be counted towards the annual 180-day school year requirement needed to qualify for State Aid, which assists with roughly 40 percent of a school’s funding. 

Since then, NYC Public School students have had only two remote snow days. The recent snow day on January 26 caused a reevaluation of their effectiveness, with some Stuyvesant students highlighting logistical difficulties with remote learning. “It’s all pretty flimsy. There’s no attendance guarantee, and what about Wi-Fi or device issues? The department doesn’t know if we can all log on at once,” sophomore Mahjabin Ishika said. Although the NYSED requires school districts to report student access to the internet and devices at home on an annual basis, Ishika notes where NYSED’s initiatives may fall short, as unpredictable situations may occur, preventing a productive learning environment.

Students have mixed feelings about the effectiveness of remote learning itself, regardless of technology. “It’s just really useless. No one is paying attention, so there’s no point. We’re not in COVID again,” sophomore Sarra Islam expressed. Even though Islam herself did not have remote instruction in January, she noticed how her younger sister was stuck at home on a laptop. In addition, many students struggled with punctuality and remaining focussed. “It seems like no one, neither the students nor the teachers, cared about it anymore,” Islam explained, echoing the sentiment that remote learning has begun to feel more like a formality than a viable solution to connect teachers to students.

Sophomore Mariam Sharikadze shared how remote learning has impacted her younger brother, who is currently in fifth grade. “He is definitely a hands-on learner, and the remote day really didn’t help him grasp much in class that day. It was an ineffective use of his time and only stressed him out,” she reflected. Sharikadze does not believe that children should be forced to sit in front of a screen as a substitute for in-person instruction. “Since we have not been getting a lot of snow in the past few years, children should be allowed to interact with it without the stress of schoolwork. I think my brother’s first real experience with a snow day of this magnitude was tainted,” she noted.

Students are not the only ones who feel that days with heavy snowfall should be spent playing in the snow. In an email interview, English teacher Kristen Rush highlighted her love of snow days as a child and how she believes they are meant to be a time of recreation. “As a parent and teacher, I would like for my own kids and students to experience a true snow day, free to play outside or to be cozy inside,” she commented.

A few students were in agreement with the NYSED’s remote policy. Sophomore Benjamin Xie argued that snow days are necessary, as they help teachers stay on track with their curricula. “I understand that many teachers have strict schedules and deadlines to uphold within lesson plans. In these scenarios, skipping a day of school altogether can throw off [the planning], incentivising remote days,” Xie said. A missed day of school might delay important lessons and exams, causing both students and teachers to cram material.

Rush also acknowledged that the department’s choice to accommodate a large range of holidays doesn’t allow for any wiggle room for unexpected days off. “I understand the logistical and ethical tension the city is under as it attempts to acknowledge a broader swath of major holidays across more diverse cultures while meeting legal requirements for schools to be open,” she elaborated, referring to the mandatory 180 school days per year.

It is difficult to accommodate every ideal version of a “good remote day” because of how widely opinions vary. Though remote days present technological challenges and might not be ideal learning circumstances for all students, removing remote days altogether could result in numerous scheduling and funding complications. Remote days are likely to remain under the discretion of NYSED for the foreseeable future. “Ultimately, no matter what we think of it, pivoting to remote learning instead of a snow day allows flexibility for public safety while still working within the school calendar,” Rush concluded.