By Sunjum Jhaj, Editor, Teacher magazine

I have fond childhood memories of waking up to see my neighbourhood blanketed with snow. On those frigid winter mornings, I would watch the local news with eager anticipation to see if my school was one of those closed for the day. These fortuitous breaks from daily routine were opportunities for play, sledding, and movie marathons.

With the rise of online learning, future generations may never experience the joy of a snow day. Districts across Canada and the United States are considering virtual learning as a means to continue classroom learning on inclement weather days, when students and teachers are not able to safely access school buildings.

Several provinces and states have been discussing the topic of virtual learning on snow days for quite some time. The pandemic, and the shift to online learning it required, caused district officials to revisit these discussions with new insights. Many districts have already made decisions to either transition to online learning or stand by the tradition of a snow day at home.

In BC, comparatively, there has been very little stir on the topic of snow days. This may be due in part to the fact that many areas in our province have significantly milder winters than other parts of the country. In the Lower Mainland, school closures are more often caused by ill-equipped responses to scant snow fall rather than significant snow accumulation. Nonetheless, when it’s unsafe for students and staff to travel to school, should we give everyone a break for the day and cancel school, or transition to virtual learning from home?

Currently, inclement weather language in collective agreements and district policies varies widely across the province. In many districts, snow days don’t always equate to closed schools. District-wide school closures for inclement weather do occasionally occur; however, the more common response in BC is to take an optional attendance approach for students. In inclement weather, buses may be cancelled, but schools remain open for students who can safely access the building. In such cases, teachers are expected to report to work. In some areas, such as Cariboo Chilcotin, teachers can report to alternate school sites if they cannot safely travel to their own school.

Virtual learning on inclement weather days could alleviate some of the stress and danger associated with commuting through snowy weather, but it is not an equitable solution for all. Murray Helmer, local president of the Cariboo Chilcotin Teachers’ Association, noted, “The opportunity for members to remain safe in the confines of their homes and teach remotely on snow days would address safety concerns, but doesn’t necessarily ensure contact with students who don’t have access to the necessary technology or reliable internet.”

Internet access can be a particularly severe problem in rural locals. Equity concerns such as these became evident early in the pandemic, when students and teachers suddenly shifted their classrooms online.

Many students may not be able to successfully access and complete virtual learning opportunities without support from adults. In this way, parent support may be an additional component that is necessary for many students. Teachers also know first-hand how difficult it can be to transition lessons designed for in-person learning to suddenly fit online instruction. The expectation to prepare a full day of virtual learning with little or no notice prior to a snow day raises additional workload concerns for teachers.

While virtual learning on snow days raises several concerns, an unplanned day of idleness at home is also not a perfect solution. I recognize the privilege I grew up with, where a cancelled day of school was an opportunity for fun, rather than a potentially dangerous situation. For children who rely on schools for meals, safety, and other supports, a missed day of school could mean hunger and significant stress. For many working parents, kids at home also means a missed day of work.

Even with the optional attendance model, where schools stay open but buses are cancelled, students who need to access supports provided by schools may miss out because they cannot safely access the building.

So, what is the best solution to solve our inclement weather woes? Each approach, whether school closure, virtual learning, or optional attendance, has its drawbacks. Although it appears there is no perfect solution, the conversations happening around the world about new approaches to snow days do make one thing clear: the adaptive responses to the pandemic will shape multiple aspects of our lives for years to come.