'Get Away From The Stresses Of School And COVID': Students Make A Case For Snow Days
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4)- Snow forecasts used to have kids glued to the radio or TV waiting for word if their school was going to declare a snow day. Now with remote learning so common, snow days are becoming a thing of the past for many, but not all.
In the Littleton School District, Thursday was the kind of day kids dream of.
"I really wanted to have a snow day," said one student perched on a snow-covered hill.
In Jefferson County instead of a snow day, all students were like first grader Luna Goss, working remotely.
"I would really have liked a snow day absolutely, but I would like to spend some time with my mom," said Goss.
The pandemic has made remote learning widespread. So, no need to cancel school due to snow.
Luna's mother, Mary Goss sympathizes with her daughter, "It would have been nice for her to have a snow day, play outside and do kids things."
But school districts are handling it in different ways.
While students were busy sledding in the Littleton district, parent Mandy Thompson says the kids have been in class a lot.
"I am glad they have a snow day they need a break after everything they have gone through the past year," she said.
One of the kids, William, was grateful, "We've been sledding and relaxing at home trying to get away from the stresses of school and COVID."
Are snow days a thing of the past? Maybe for only for some.
Jefferson County released this statement: As of this time, we have three options when inclement weather, or another issue, means we have to consider closing our school buildings: 2-hour delay, all-remote learning day, and a traditional snow day, as shown on this webpage.
We opted to hold a remote learning day today because it provided the opportunity to continue the learning, while also keeping students, families, and school buses off the roads following a stormy night. This past year has been disruptive to education and valuable instruction time has been lost. In order to ensure the learning continues as much as possible the rest of this school year, and to meet required educational time, we made the decision to hold a remote learning day for all. Our teachers and school leaders prepared for the possibility of a remote learning day that included added flexibility for students to have free time to enjoy being outside in the new snow. We are hearing that the day has proceeded successfully and as planned.
From Douglas County: Douglas County School District covers 850+ square miles and weather conditions vary greatly across our district. Today's decision to close was made with student and staff safety top of mind. We continually review our procedures related to weather (to include eLearning and remote learning) and update our community when a change is made.
From Denver Public Schools: We understand that this shift to remote learning on short notice does present challenges. Our students have already lost so much learning time, and we feel it's important to do whatever we can to maximize academic instruction and support this school year by shifting in-person students to remote learning.
