New York City Public Schools Cancel Snow Days Next Year

New York City’s Department of Education recently released its 2021-22 school year calendar with one notable change: the snow days have been canceled.

“On ‘Snow days’ or days when school buildings are closed due to an emergency, all students and families should plan on participating in remote learning,” according to the city’s school district website.

Last September, the district announced that it would not have any snow days for the 2020-21 academic year, as students would simply learn remotely if the school buildings could not open.

New York is not the only city making this shift from “snow day” to “remote day.” According to a survey by Education Week, 39% of educators converted snow days to remote learning days and 32% had considered doing so.

Nonetheless, some education leaders are still championing the snow day, including the New Jersey Mahwah Township Public School. “Snow days are chances for on-site learners and virtual learners to just be kids by playing in the snow, baking cookies, reading books and watching a good movie,” the district said in an email in October. “These are times for memory-making, and we believe these types of opportunities should remain intact.”

Article by Elizabeth Letsou