Are snow days ancient history? What are your schools doing?

[Anonymous]

My DD is in a suburban DMV private (middle school age). We were told that students will have the first snow day as a real “snow day”, and subsequent snow days will be distance learning days (on Zoom). Is this weird or is this just what all the schools are doing now? I can’t imagine that time spent on Zoom being particularly valuable, if teachers have to plan for it last minute (and probably many kids not showing up for Zoom class, anyways). Can others please share what their schools are doing? Has it been successful or not? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

It's either that or you extend the school year. You'd prefer that?

[Anonymous]

My DD’s school (HS) does an excellent job with e-learning days. The students have assignments, teachers post recorded lessons and are online and available during the day. All assignments are due by midnight night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's either that or you extend the school year. You'd prefer that?

Right. It’s either online learning or we go longer in June when no one is paying g any attention anyway. Online learning sounds better to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in a suburban DMV private (middle school age). We were told that students will have the first snow day as a real “snow day”, and subsequent snow days will be distance learning days (on Zoom). Is this weird or is this just what all the schools are doing now? I can’t imagine that time spent on Zoom being particularly valuable, if teachers have to plan for it last minute (and probably many kids not showing up for Zoom class, anyways). Can others please share what their schools are doing? Has it been successful or not? Thanks.

Your phrasing makes me think you are also an SSSAS parent. Maybe a new one? It works out fine. Remote school days suck and DC hates them, and I imagine the teachers aren’t super fond of them either, but no one wants extra days tacked on at the end of the school year, or days taken away from spring break or whatever. There are pros and cons to both snow days (no school) and e-learning days. There’s no perfect solution. This one works well enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in a suburban DMV private (middle school age). We were told that students will have the first snow day as a real “snow day”, and subsequent snow days will be distance learning days (on Zoom). Is this weird or is this just what all the schools are doing now? I can’t imagine that time spent on Zoom being particularly valuable, if teachers have to plan for it last minute (and probably many kids not showing up for Zoom class, anyways). Can others please share what their schools are doing? Has it been successful or not? Thanks.

Your phrasing makes me think you are also an SSSAS parent. Maybe a new one? It works out fine. Remote school days suck and DC hates them, and I imagine the teachers aren’t super fond of them either, but no one wants extra days tacked on at the end of the school year, or days taken away from spring break or whatever. There are pros and cons to both snow days (no school) and e-learning days. There’s no perfect solution. This one works well enough.

Hi, yes. Would there really be days added to the end of the year (or taken from breaks etc) because of snow days? This is our first child but having attended a DMV private myself, I don’t recall ever having to “make up” any snow days. Have rules for school year lengths changed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in a suburban DMV private (middle school age). We were told that students will have the first snow day as a real “snow day”, and subsequent snow days will be distance learning days (on Zoom). Is this weird or is this just what all the schools are doing now? I can’t imagine that time spent on Zoom being particularly valuable, if teachers have to plan for it last minute (and probably many kids not showing up for Zoom class, anyways). Can others please share what their schools are doing? Has it been successful or not? Thanks.

Your phrasing makes me think you are also an SSSAS parent. Maybe a new one? It works out fine. Remote school days suck and DC hates them, and I imagine the teachers aren’t super fond of them either, but no one wants extra days tacked on at the end of the school year, or days taken away from spring break or whatever. There are pros and cons to both snow days (no school) and e-learning days. There’s no perfect solution. This one works well enough.

Hi, yes. Would there really be days added to the end of the year (or taken from breaks etc) because of snow days? This is our first child but having attended a DMV private myself, I don’t recall ever having to “make up” any snow days. Have rules for school year lengths changed?

Welcome! I hope your child is as happy here as mine has been (although we only have experience in the US).

My understanding is that because of the availability of e-learning, extra days are no longer built into the calendar the way they were when we were in school (I’m also a product of DMV private schools — but I did have at least one year where they took away some days that were supposed to be off because there had been so much snow, back in one of the 90s blizzard years).

In fact, despite the “we want to preserve the wonder of the first snow day” party line, SSSAS doesn’t even build that in, really. If there’s no snow day by a certain date, we get an extra day at Easter; if there has been a snow day — and there has been one every year DC has been here — you don’t get that day off.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised our school didn't even have a snow delay today.

[Anonymous]

Kids in two different privates, one is open on time, other is virtual today.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know why SSSAS still clings to this remote learning fantasy. Teachers and parents alike know it’s bunk but I guess it makes school administrators feel better. Gifting one “real” snow day isn’t as generous as it seems. At least the kids aren’t as likely to get a dress code violation when they’re remote!

[Anonymous]

Private schools do not have to make up snow days at the end of the year. That is only an issue for publics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools do not have to make up snow days at the end of the year. That is only an issue for publics

Is this true? Why is it not an issue for privates? I thought VA privates had the same req for # of school days as public’s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools do not have to make up snow days at the end of the year. That is only an issue for publics

Is this true? Why is it not an issue for privates? I thought VA privates had the same req for # of school days as public’s

Why would one think that? Laws about public schools apply to public schools, not to private schools.

[Anonymous]

Glad our private opened on time. We still need to be at work on time -- and this really is a trivial snow fall where we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private schools do not have to make up snow days at the end of the year. That is only an issue for publics

Is this true? Why is it not an issue for privates? I thought VA privates had the same req for # of school days as public’s

I believe this is correct also. US DOE says so, at least: https://www.ed.gov/birth-grade-12-education/education-choice/state-regulation-of-private-and-home-schools/virginia-state-regulations-of-private-and-home-schools

I think it's different in MD and DC though.