Proposed end to snow days

BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL
Times-Shamrock Writer

For some students, snow days may no longer mean sleeping in or building snowmen. Instead, students could soon be completing lessons and interacting with their classmates and teachers from home.

School districts can now apply to be part of the state’s Flexible Instructional Days pilot program, which allows districts to use nontraditional methods to teach students on days when the weather or other circumstances close schools.

Following a winter that included schools being closed for snow or the cold almost weekly, some area superintendents said they are eager to learn more about the program and hope to see students learning when buildings are closed.

“The concept is excellent,” said Michael Mahon, Ph.D., Abington Heights superintendent. “We need to find flexible ways to provide instruction to students.”

Public School Code requires schools to offer at least 180 days or 900 hours of instruction to students in first through sixth grades and 990 hours of instruction for grades seven through 12. The Department of Education expects the new program to provide schools with the opportunity to meet the requirements through the use of digital resources.

“As we continue to advance through the 21st century, our education system is adapting to and actively using technology for the delivery of instruction and educational materials,” Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq, Ed.D. said in a news release.

In order to be considered for the program, districts must submit detailed plans of curriculum and instruction and student and teacher access to technology. Schools can create programs that are fully online or offline. The districts must also address delivery of services for students in special education classes.

Snow days typically occur before state standardized tests are taken each year, so students get behind on curriculum that is tested in the spring. Make-up days for cancellations typically happen after state tests are taken. Superintendents said that providing more instruction before testing would be valuable.

Susquehanna Community School District, a rural district with sometimes treacherous roads in the winter, first asked the state about a flexibility option three years ago, Superintendent Bronson Stone said. In a letter sent to the Department of Education earlier this year, he outlined the district’s plan.

When school is canceled, teachers would post assignments and provide instruction through an online platform. Interactions between teachers and students would occur through e-mail or telephone during the school day. Student attendance would be verified by students’ participation in the online learning platform and communicating with their teachers.

In 2011, a district survey found that 97 percent of high school students have computers with internet access at home. Because most snow days are anticipated the day before, students in need of technology would be given a refurbished laptop and internet access cards before a cancellation.

At Abington Heights, Dr. Mahon said that while he loves the concept of flexibility, providing a program that meets the state’s rigid criteria may be tough. He is asking the state for examples of programs districts can implement. It would be hard for every child to have the access needed, he said.

The Western Wayne School District, which covers 172 rural miles, often has many snow days. The district has interest in pursuing the flexibility option, but many questions must be answered first, Superintendent Clay LaCoe, Ed.D. said.

“Not everyone has access to technology,” he said. “We have to think about what that means for us.”

In Carbondale, with 60 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches, access to technology would be tough, Superintendent Joseph Gorham said.

“In theory, it sounds great,” he said. “It’s not realistic.”