One question that has come up repeatedly in schools throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is this- will we still have snow days in the future? Many people think these days off are on their way out due to new online learning capabilities. In theory, it makes sense that schools may choose to have online learning days rather than no school at all, but is this really practical?

As we learned at the beginning of the pandemic, virtual learning takes a bit of time to coordinate in order for it to work. Not everyone has access to a device, good internet, or other materials. Teacher have to prepare lessons, links to Zoom classes need to be sent out, online submissions need to be worked out, and more. It can be done, but since snow days aren’t normally decided until the day before, it seems like a bit of a stretch for everything to be prepared in time.

There is also a question as to whether or not schools should abolish snow days, even if they have the capabilities to do so. Many students use their break on snow days to catch up on schoolwork, while others use it as a much-needed break. There has been increased awareness in recent years about the mental health of students, and I believe snow days, while they may seem insignificant at the time, can serve as a quick break for students to relax and refuel their minds. 

It is clear that there are pros and cons to replacing snow days with virtual learning days, so we will have to see what happens over the next few years as the pandemic continues.

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