As communities across the nation attempt to dig out from a massive winter storm, and brace for hazardous conditions that will linger throughout the week, states鈥� and school districts鈥� approaches to delivering instruction in severe weather鈥攊f they do it at all鈥攙ary greatly.
Some school systems immediately announced a pivot into remote learning, while others simply closed school, with no organized plans for online instruction.
As a result of the COVID pandemic, many school districts put in place technology protocols to allow them to provide lessons online.
Yet some states and school systems also restricted remote learning, questioning its overall value and whether it worsens inequities for students who aren鈥檛 in stable home environments.
Over the past day, several states have been hit with . One community in New Mexico reported 31 inches of snow. States and communities are , with stretches of the South, including Tennessee and Mississippi, feeling the most severe impact.
States and school districts have had different reactions to the winter storm. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced school buildings would be closed on Monday but that .
The decision affected about 500,000 of the district鈥檚 900,000 students. Many students in grades 6-12 were already scheduled to be out of school because of a professional learning day.
鈥�鈥淚 am鈥痝rateful to our school communities for the work they鈥檝e done over the last several days鈥�攆rom stress-testing technology鈥痶o securing buildings and getting virtual classrooms ready,鈥� New York City Schools . 鈥淭his was鈥痑鈥痙ifficult decision made with the safety of every family in mind, and I thank you for your flexibility.鈥濃���
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency, and the decisions on whether to close schools completely or engage in remote learning were left to individual districts, .
Debates about whether to call off schools entirely in the face of severe weather, or shift to online instruction, aren鈥檛 new. Advocates for snow day cancellations argue that remote learning creates unequal learning opportunities. Advocates for online instruction see it as a viable option to keep students engaged academically, and they note that cancellations lead schools to tack on extra days at the end of the year.
Different ways states have reacted to the storm
In New Jersey, the state restricts the circumstances in which . State law generally mandates students be in a classroom for the day to count toward the minimum days of instruction. If schools remain closed for three consecutive days, remote learning can count towards the minimum days of instruction, .
Parts of Texas were hit hard by Sunday鈥檚 snowstorm, and the school closures on Monday and Tuesday. The district also said it was scheduling make-up school days. If more snow days occur, the school system can get a waiver from the Texas Education Agency to avoid having to add make-up days at the end of the school year, according to the .
Other districts are mixing both snow days and remote learning.
In northern Virginia, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a , students were encouraged 鈥渢o take their devices and materials home as a precaution, while emphasizing that [the district is] not shifting to remote learning and that we also value the importance of snow days.鈥�
Parents have been receiving links for students to join online reading challenges and are encouraged to finish up incomplete assignments.
The availability of online learning options seems to have influenced district approaches to dealing with bad weather.
In an EdWeek Research Center survey of K-12 administrators and 糖心动漫vlog conducted in 2024, nearly 6 in 10 said the number of snow days their school systems had built into their calendars had remained unchanged over the previous year.
When those who said their district or school had made a change were asked why they had do so, the largest percentage, 46 percent, cited the availability of remote learning options.
Respondents to a separate Education Week query on LinkedIn and Facebook offered a variety of views on the value of remote learning after weather events.
One said that in many cases of extreme weather, online instruction is not appropriate.
However, if weather affects roads but not infrastructure like power, then 鈥渞emote learning to reduce the number of makeup days for the summer seems like a great option,鈥� said the commenter, Brooke C. on LinkedIn.
But another said the pandemic offered lessons on tech-based learning鈥攁nd not positive ones.
鈥淒id we not learn from covid the instabilities of remote 鈥榣earning?鈥欌�� said Andy K. on Facebook. 鈥淟et the kids enjoy the snow. Give them work like submit a photo of a snowman you built, or write a paragraph about your snowball fight.鈥�
