District adds snow days, students debate adequacy of new policy

By Finn Kenny

For the 2025-26 school year, the district is increasing the number of allotted snow days from two to five, but some students question if that is enough.

Senior Emma Dupuy, who opted to stay home during the winter storm on Jan. 30 due to dangerous road conditions, believes the decision-making process needs improvement.

Dupuy said this regarding Jan 30, “That day should’ve totally been a snow day. I even have snow tires, and my dad said I should stay home. My drive from home to school is 15-20 minutes a day, so if I hadn't stayed home that day, it was likely I would've gotten into an accident.” 

Dupuy thinks the process of deciding to call a snow day or two-hour delay needs to be revised. “If there is any chance of snow of four inches or less, the next day should be an automatic late start. It should also be an automatic snow day if there is a chance of ice because, depending on what side of town you live on, it could be worse and more dangerous,” she said. 

Dupuy clarified that not all the district’s snow day calls are questionable. “Sometimes I feel like the district makes a good call on these snow days, like on Feb. 12,” said Dupuy.

Senior Sienna Storey appreciates the new snow day policy but recognizes that both snow days and e-learning can cause students to fall behind.

“I feel like for high school, a lot of kids just need that break, especially during the winter season,” she said. “There’s give and take for both ... Snow days, in general, put people behind. But e-learning -- no one does anything during e-learning. 

When making snow day calls, the district must consider student contact hours. For the current academic year, 177 student contact hours are scheduled. If the minimum hours are not met due to extensive cancellations, the district has to extend the end of the year. 

With the new snow days configuration, the district is still meeting that quota, according to the Department of Education (CDE).

The adjustment to the snow day policy happened after a 6th-grader’s petition garnered support in the community. The district said via a Parent Square communication, “A survey of 4,500 respondents showed overwhelming community support for additional traditional snow days, citing several disadvantages to eLearning.”