That is wild that your School Board runs things that way. Here I thought the rural areas were better on attitudes to tech than here in Toronto.
We have only real snow days, if the buses are cancelled people are still encouraged to walk, and there’s no remote learning.
(Though, last week when the buses were cancelled so my daughter was home but school was still on, she actually voluntarily logged on at the time when she knows they have time to work on their slide projects with their partners … to be fair it’s making a Choose Your Own Adventure on Google Slides so it’s fun, but I did feel a bit weird that workaholism seems to start at a young age when tech is in the picture. It is like the way I voluntarily do more work at 10 pm because I enjoy my job and am intrigued by the work, but if it were 1986 and my work were at the office and I didn’t have it at home, I’d read a book because logging on and working isn’t an option.)
We live in Kansas City, and my daughter had 11 "snow days" last year in kindergarten. We did have one snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow, which the city is not equipped to handle well, but they missed an entire week for that, and then additional days for cold wind chills and another snow later in the spring that was barely 2 inches. The first 6 days were "alternative methods of instruction" or AMI days, then they still had 5 traditional snow days that had to be made up at the end of the year.
As someone who grew up in North Dakota, it's very hard to accept what qualifies as a snow day here. The phrase "out of an abundance of caution" triggers me now 🙃 Growing up I don't remember ever having more than 2 or 3 snow days a year, and never just for cold temperatures. We just expected to prepare for the elements. I think part of the problem where we live is that so few people regularly spend time outside anymore that parents here just don't buy their kids proper winter gear, and then they get angry at the school district for not cancelling on days when it's too cold to stand at the bus stop in a light jacket!
I'm thankful our district at least provides paper worksheets for AMI days in the lower grades, but I believe that changes to online learning in 3rd grade. I spoke to a mother from the neighboring district whose 5-year-old was expected to spend hours online during particular times of day, and she said it was absolutely miserable.
I wish I had more suggestions, but I'm mostly just offering solidarity!
In Seattle public schools they tried to do this and parents flipped out so after 1 or maybe it was 2 snow days with remote learning, they cancelled the thing. We don’t even get snow once a year so it was ridiculous. (If school is closed for snow, they have to add on days at the end of the school year and I’m guessing teachers don’t love a shorter summer.) Also, the online attendance was extremely low because - hello!! Kids and snow! Snow we never get! Of course they wanted to play outside! What a killjoy that was. Terrible you have to do this for a month out of every year. Tech has made us lazy. My advice: complain, complain, and complain some more. Have everyone you know complain.
Parents in some areas of the world are already making it clear that they would rather have their children educated in an analog fashion, without technological interference. Granted, "remote" learning was useful and necessary for its time, but that time has passed....
I live far enough south that, on average, we have one day of snow a year. Every time there is ice or snow then the whole city shuts down because we do not have the infrastructure to handle any amount of snow. The same thing has happened where the schools continue to do remote learning and it frustrates me so much. We get one day of snow! Just let the kids play outside.
No advice for how snowy places should handle but it seems clear to me that anywhere snow is rare should just get snow days the day it happens or, as happens every few years, the week it happens.
I guess it’s not the same weather but in Montreal we almost never have snow days. Last year when we had an astronomical snow dump we had one and it was so much fun. A true classic snow day! This year there wasn’t a single snow day, even though temps were quite cold some days. I think because the majority of kids go to the local school and most are less than 1km walking from home unless kids are in a specialty school of some kind. And no remote learning though I wonder if they do for high school. And yes I know parents have to work, but it is truly a joy to take a « real » snow day!
We ask schools to hold responsibility for so many of our society's problems, most of which are outside of their remit, which is providing a free, quality education. Management of weather-related transportation emergencies and the resultant disruptions of child care are not properly placed at the feet of school districts and yet we blame them when the solutions they offer are admittedly inadequate. This feels fundamentally like a lack of infrastructure problem, based in our society's resistance to investing in the common good. Are there innovations or technologies out there that can do snow removal/mitigation better than the ones in use? Everyone would benefit from more efficient methods of snow removal!
That is wild that your School Board runs things that way. Here I thought the rural areas were better on attitudes to tech than here in Toronto.
We have only real snow days, if the buses are cancelled people are still encouraged to walk, and there’s no remote learning.
(Though, last week when the buses were cancelled so my daughter was home but school was still on, she actually voluntarily logged on at the time when she knows they have time to work on their slide projects with their partners … to be fair it’s making a Choose Your Own Adventure on Google Slides so it’s fun, but I did feel a bit weird that workaholism seems to start at a young age when tech is in the picture. It is like the way I voluntarily do more work at 10 pm because I enjoy my job and am intrigued by the work, but if it were 1986 and my work were at the office and I didn’t have it at home, I’d read a book because logging on and working isn’t an option.)
Hey, I live near Anacortes. Is it a public event?
I believe so! At the public library tonight, 6pm
I hope the event went well! I live on an island off the coast. Have to plan days in advance to make it over there. But I’m glad they invited you.
We live in Kansas City, and my daughter had 11 "snow days" last year in kindergarten. We did have one snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow, which the city is not equipped to handle well, but they missed an entire week for that, and then additional days for cold wind chills and another snow later in the spring that was barely 2 inches. The first 6 days were "alternative methods of instruction" or AMI days, then they still had 5 traditional snow days that had to be made up at the end of the year.
As someone who grew up in North Dakota, it's very hard to accept what qualifies as a snow day here. The phrase "out of an abundance of caution" triggers me now 🙃 Growing up I don't remember ever having more than 2 or 3 snow days a year, and never just for cold temperatures. We just expected to prepare for the elements. I think part of the problem where we live is that so few people regularly spend time outside anymore that parents here just don't buy their kids proper winter gear, and then they get angry at the school district for not cancelling on days when it's too cold to stand at the bus stop in a light jacket!
I'm thankful our district at least provides paper worksheets for AMI days in the lower grades, but I believe that changes to online learning in 3rd grade. I spoke to a mother from the neighboring district whose 5-year-old was expected to spend hours online during particular times of day, and she said it was absolutely miserable.
I wish I had more suggestions, but I'm mostly just offering solidarity!
In Seattle public schools they tried to do this and parents flipped out so after 1 or maybe it was 2 snow days with remote learning, they cancelled the thing. We don’t even get snow once a year so it was ridiculous. (If school is closed for snow, they have to add on days at the end of the school year and I’m guessing teachers don’t love a shorter summer.) Also, the online attendance was extremely low because - hello!! Kids and snow! Snow we never get! Of course they wanted to play outside! What a killjoy that was. Terrible you have to do this for a month out of every year. Tech has made us lazy. My advice: complain, complain, and complain some more. Have everyone you know complain.
Parents in some areas of the world are already making it clear that they would rather have their children educated in an analog fashion, without technological interference. Granted, "remote" learning was useful and necessary for its time, but that time has passed....
Coincidentally, this was the subject of today's Alice comic strip.
https://comicskingdom.com/alice/2026-02-27
That's great!
I live far enough south that, on average, we have one day of snow a year. Every time there is ice or snow then the whole city shuts down because we do not have the infrastructure to handle any amount of snow. The same thing has happened where the schools continue to do remote learning and it frustrates me so much. We get one day of snow! Just let the kids play outside.
No advice for how snowy places should handle but it seems clear to me that anywhere snow is rare should just get snow days the day it happens or, as happens every few years, the week it happens.
I guess it’s not the same weather but in Montreal we almost never have snow days. Last year when we had an astronomical snow dump we had one and it was so much fun. A true classic snow day! This year there wasn’t a single snow day, even though temps were quite cold some days. I think because the majority of kids go to the local school and most are less than 1km walking from home unless kids are in a specialty school of some kind. And no remote learning though I wonder if they do for high school. And yes I know parents have to work, but it is truly a joy to take a « real » snow day!
I should add we have PLENTY of snowy days. Just almost no school cancellation because of them 😀
We ask schools to hold responsibility for so many of our society's problems, most of which are outside of their remit, which is providing a free, quality education. Management of weather-related transportation emergencies and the resultant disruptions of child care are not properly placed at the feet of school districts and yet we blame them when the solutions they offer are admittedly inadequate. This feels fundamentally like a lack of infrastructure problem, based in our society's resistance to investing in the common good. Are there innovations or technologies out there that can do snow removal/mitigation better than the ones in use? Everyone would benefit from more efficient methods of snow removal!