'Snow days' not possible during online school

Posted January 2021

By Jennifer Dinh

Staff Editor

There will not be snow days this school year due to the nature of school being completely online, and there being no issues with safe transportation to and from school.

The district settled on this decision last fall. The only exception is if there are major power outages throughout the district due to inclement weather. If that were to happen, it could result in having to make up those days at the end of the school year, since there are only a few days a year set aside for poor weather before they need to be made up. The alternative to making up the days at the end of the year is turning non-contact/instruction days into contact/instruction days.

“I am one of many that doesn't want to stay later in the school year to make up days, especially since we already are dismissed mid-June—any longer would be even more stressful at this point,” said science teacher and DDEA building representative Stacy Barber.

There are waivers that permit not making up days in the case that the entire metropolitan area closes down due to snow (like it did a few years ago), or even the fires and smoke earlier this school year. At this time, the district is doing everything possible to prevent the school year from extending. Once school returns back to "normal,” guidelines set for in-person school will be reinstated and snow days will be called accordingly.