For obvious reasons, snow days are beloved by many students and teachers, however there is sometimes a price to be paid for days off from school due to inclement weather.
February began with a winter storm that dumped close to two-and-a-half feet of snow on the area and closed Saucon Valley schools for three days. Winter weather continued to impact the area throughout most of the month, closing schools again and again (though not every time it snowed), and prompting administrators to use up all of the snow days that were built into the 2020-2021 district caldendar–and then some.
A school bus picks up children in the snow. Saucon Valley students who have enjoyed numerous snow days in recent weeks will now have to attend classes to make up for two of them. (FILE PHOTO)
Superintendent Dr. Craig Butler announced in an email to parents Wednesday that students and staff will now have to attend school on two make-up days, in order to satisfy the state Department of Education’s requirement that all public schools be open for at 180 days of instruction each school year.
“On March 9…the Saucon Valley School District Board of Directors approved two make up days for the snow days incurred this year due to inclement weather,” Butler said. “As you may recall, snow days were built into the 2020-2021 calendar. The two make up days…are needed to fulfill state requirements in addition to the allotment of snow days already used throughout the year. As always, we appreciate your support.”
The make up days will be Monday, April 5, which is the day after Easter and normally a school holiday, and Friday, June 4, which Butler said will now be the last day of the school year as well as an early dismissal day for all students.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Education modified its requirement that students physically attend class for at least 180 days to account for so-called “asynchronous” learning–including remote instruction–with the caveat that “to count as instruction—whether in the classroom or remotely—students’ instructional activities must be under the direction of a certified school employee, unless otherwise permitted.”
“Any school entity that includes time spent in a remote learning environment toward instructional time requirements must implement a system that accurately tracks out of school instructional time similar to attendance in the school building,” an update on the department’s website specified.
Saucon Valley opted not to utilize technology in place for the minority of district students who attend classes remotely on days when the weather made it too dangerous to travel to schools, however some districts in the Lehigh Valley did implement “virtual snow days.”
Although temperatures this week have soared into the 60s and may reach a near-record 70 degrees on Thursday, winter technically isn’t over yet, a return to more seasonal temperatures is expected next week, and at least theoretically, more snow could still fall.
What do you think? Are you happy with the Saucon Valley School District’s revised calendar? Tell us in a comment.
