School closures due to weather were once commonplace, but districts nationwide are increasingly deciding that snow should not warrant a full stop to classroom activities. Climate change is altering winter weather patterns in ways that reduce traditional snow days in many states, while remote learning allows districts to avoid cancellations or schedule changes. Together, these factors contribute to a world where our children may not experience the joys of waking up to a day of playing in the snow as we once did. I can’t help but wonder what else we will lose as snow days become more scarce.
Climate change alters winter weather patterns in ways that directly affect snow closures. While the world is undoubtedly warming, many scientists understand climate change as promoting increasing weather extremities especially in unexpected areas. Average winter temperatures have risen, leading to fewer prolonged snowstorms. When snow does fall, it is often heavier, but melts more quickly, resulting in fewer days that meet the traditional threshold for a snow day. That being said, snow storm systems are shifting to different regions and warmer temperatures can lead to increased precipitation that can produce intense snowfall in unexpected areas like Louisiana and Saudi Arabia, two unlikely regions facing snowstorms this week.
Snow day policies, however, were created for a different climate. Administrators used to expect sustained snowfall that lingered on roads and driveways, and inconsistent cleanup timelines that would affect school schedules. Since winters are becoming more erratic, districts are struggling to define what conditions are disruptive enough to justify cancellation. Remote learning has become an effective solution to this climate confusion. What began as an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic transformed into a permanent educational tool that will turn the few snow days that global warming allows into Zoom classrooms. Snow days that were once a necessity have become a discretionary choice.
While remote learning policies help schools meet state-mandated instructional hour requirements without extending the academic year, consistent access to reliable internet and quiet spaces conducive to learning are privileges that not every family across the district has. Furthermore, younger students require additional supervision during remote learning days and working parents will face the added strain of having children at home, whether it is a snow day or a day of remote school. Teachers too recognize that students are prone to distractions when learning from home and an online lesson is often less effective than waiting until in-person school is back in session.
While many schools are refining their policies to reach a compromise, with some districts choosing to keep a few traditional snow days and introducing some remote learning days, I still can’t help but wonder what students might gain from spontaneous unstructured time, having grown up in the post-pandemic era of constant connectivity.
“The purpose of school is to teach children lessons, and sometimes that extends beyond math and writing.”
While snow days may not be the most efficient or practical, there is something to be said for teaching Gen Alpha, the chronically-online children of the pandemic, how to have fun outdoors and enjoy the spontaneity, warmth and community that I still remember from snow days as a child. To me, snow days are not just a day off from school; they reflect the values and priorities that school systems want to instill within the next generation of professionals. Do we continue to promote the efficiency and austere practicality of hustle culture or should we instead teach the most chronically-online generation yet to slow down and appreciate what is right in front of them?