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It’s beginning to look a lot like snow days! Winter is here and the cold weather is already creeping its way into our windshields and windows. Time to get ready to suit up in warm pajamas, pour some hot chocolate, and sit on a couch watching TV as a snowstorm prevents people from making it to school. Certainly, this means no schoolwork for the students, right?
On January 13, 2023, those plans were altered by the Maryland Board of Education. The Virtual Day Instructional Plan was a new form of learning that utilizes internet access to complete schoolwork. It had been introduced after the effect of Covid, which kept all of our students stuck in their homes and attending class through a screen. With the proof that such learning could be done, the concept of having a virtual school day is not much different than that of quarantine.
The decision to hold a virtual school day is determined by a number of factors, all of which depend on the ability to foresee the inclement weather event. As written in the Montgomery County Guideline for Virtual Schools, they list:
“Transitioning to virtual learning is considered when:
❏ An the event and its timing is predictable
❏ When prior preparation and communication has taken place
❏ Commonly, as part of a multi-day inclement weather event (i.e. blizzard, ice storm, etc.)”
This details that the schools of Maryland now have the ability to shut down the building and create online lesson plans that best resemble working in class if they are able to effectively evaluate upcoming weather. That being said, this isn’t something that is always possible. There are times when the inclement weather is entirely unpredictable, leading to instructors having no time to prepare for such events. If the weather seems like it’ll be too difficult to safely deliver students to school, it’s entirely possible that lessons, virtual and otherwise, will be canceled for that day.
A brief interview with the Frederick High School Principal, Dr. David Franceschina, detailed a more direct and helpful information for the students of Frederick County.
“Teachers must supply their students with 20-30 minutes of work for each class that is completed asynchronously,” he replied. “Teachers must also be available during normal school hours, whether that be through Schoology, the Google phone number, or their email, in case a student has a question about their work.”
A brief interview with the Frederick High School Principal, Dr. David Franceschina, detailed a more direct and helpful information for the students of Frederick County.
“Teachers must supply their students with 20-30 minutes of work for each class that is completed asynchronously,” he replied. “Teachers must also be available during normal school hours, whether that be through Schoology, the Google phone number, or their email, in case a student has a question about their work.”
For years now, snow days have been built into some time in June. They’re meant to be additional school days for if snow makes school unavailable. The temporary joy of the snow day at the moment can lead to extended frustration at the end of the year, for students will still need to make up for that time. With the implementation of the virtual school days, teachers are able to shave away at the possibility of using those snow days by still providing instruction to their students. It’s an attempt to prevent overextending the school year and a way to help get students out for the summer on time.
The opinions of virtual school days due to inclement weather are mixed, as all things are when it comes to schooling, however it seems like it’s one that’s here to stay. That is to say, this isn’t goodbye to those lovely snowmen and sledding hills that wait for us after the school work has finished. The more the student focuses on completing what’s been assigned to them, the sooner the student is done with their work. The sooner they’re done with their work, the faster they’re able to slip on their boots and go out into the snow, or brew themselves some nice hot chocolate as the snowy weather outside their door continues to fall.
2023-2023 GUIDANCE: MCPS Virtual Day Instructional Plans. (2023). Retrieved December 15, 2023, from https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/emergency/2022-2023guidance_mcpsvirtualdayinstructionalplan.pdf
Frederick County Public Schools 2023-2024 Calendar Handbook. (2023). Retrieved December 15, 2023, from https://campussuite-storage.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/33903/86de7fb0-3a18-11e6-b537-22000bd8490f/2631169/d3cf53b8-25a9-11ee-a956-0a58a9feac02/file/2023-24_CHB_full.pdf