How many snow days does your school alott? Should your school get more?

Question

I live in a SNOWY area. My district only allotts four snow days a year. It's NEVER enough. We're always extending the year, or driving in blizzards to get to school! It's stupid! Why not just add more snow days? Does anyone else have this problem with their district?

Answer 1

I also work in a snowy area. Our district no longer allots any days for snow. It's really frustrating, because inevitably, we extend the school year. (We've been really fortunate this year so far...) With that said, a few years ago we went to school right up until June 30th, which is only as far as our contract allows. The most frustrating part is that we have some really arbitrary days off that I'd rather be forced to go and not extend the year so long in the end. We have Evacuation Day in March---do you even know what that is? Most of the teachers in our district do not....and then Bunker Hill Day in June, right when we're ready to end the year.

In all sincereity, I've finally come to the conclusion (after driving more than 5 hours home on a Friday night last year during a horrendous snowstorm) that sick days can certainly be used when our Superintendent makes a bad choice and expects us to be in school during really bad weather. I'd much rather go later in June than risk life and limb for a job! You just have to prioritize! Would you encourage your students to brave the elements on a really bad day? If not, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and stay home. I figure that being forced to call in a ton of subs will eventually require that our leaders reconsider their policies!

Good news, though.....winter is more than half over. Enjoy the rest of it. :)

Answer 2

I don't agree with that. What they SHOULD do is assign homework lessons on snow days so your kids can go to the computer and get their assignments there. Blizzard warnings are often known in advance so homework should be assigned the day before for those without computers or to all of them, so that they don't get behind and don't need to extend the school year.

Your kids will be left behind if they are losing all that schooling.

You're better off to find a solution to getting the school work done DURING snow days rather than adding more days and extending the school year. (You did say you get a lot of snow so it's not like its some kind of rare "treat" for the kids.)

My son's class has a series of homework assignments every week. They know what they are in advance and can do them all in advance, or as required on the days they are due. By doing this, class time is freed up to do MORE than what is in the cirriculum. These kids are very bright and excel and get to have "free" days where artists are brought in and they work the whole day on extra stuff that most schools don't bother with. These "perks" make for better students, less bullying, more comradery etc.

Education is what you make of it, and there are schools that are better, thanks to the teachers and principals and parents too, than others, and I'm glad that my kids are in a school like that. I don't mind driving the distance but again, if they had something in place for really bad days then the kids wouldn't suffer too much for it.

Answer 3

I went to school in Iowa. I think we alloted ourselves 4 snow days. But the district I was in was stingy about giving snow days. They just wanted for school to get out on time in May and figured if parents could drive 45 miles to work in a blizzard, the buses could run too. We would pray to have a snow day called, but it was only maybe a 2 hour delay until the roads were cleared.

Here in CA, obviously there aren't snow days, but kids get a THREE WEEK Christmas break. It's been a hot topic lately because the Hispanic families want to go back to Mexico to see their families.

(I am not being judgmental, that's just what's going on here, it's in the papers all the time.)

Answer 4

I live in southwestern OH. Until about 3-4 years ago we didn't have a limit on the number of calamity days. It seemed like some schools, especially rural, were out all the time. Then a few years ago some wannabe known for something legislator decided to limit us to five days. Most years that is enough. Sometimes we don't even get one. But this year, we are already over by one and still have a good month of possible bad weather. Our school district doesn't do delays so either we close or we go on time. That is crappy. Just last week all the schools around us were on a 2 hour delay except us (due to ice). I couldn't even get to my car or open it. I just called my principal and said, I'll try in another hour or two. I got to school about 1 1/2 hours late but she was happy to see me at all. I know that my mother-in-law lives in Maryland and she said they get, like, 9 and her daughter lives in Virginia and they get something like 14.

If they are going to limit the days to so few, like 4-5, I think they should have exceptions (like maybe 5 more) for really bad winters because it probably all evens out over a few years.

Answer 5

None. I live in Northern, Alberta Canada. It snows from October until April. We can get up to 35cm on a given day. We have had 4 major blizzards this year.Out tempeture can drop to -40C with wind chill. Schools in my town were closed for 0 days this year. I was expected to be there everyday, even when it took me 3 hours to shovel my car out and the streets were not plowed. I would LOVE 4 snow days.

Answer 6

Schools have an obligation to be is session for a certain number of days a year.You can't just change that number.
In my normally snowy part of the country we get 5 days and there is only a three day break in February. That way we end up getting out early in June.
So far my kids have not had one snow day. We missed all the storms .

Answer 7

Since I live in the desert, I strongly feel that we should have many more snow days! We really need Sun days. Sometimes it gets so hot the kids get all tired, sweaty, a little stinky. Driving home is awful. Many times it is so hot you can't put your hads on the steering wheel. This probably isn't as bad a blizzard though.

Answer 8

When I grew up outside Pittsburgh, we only had four. One year we went over by so much we were going to school until June 20th or so!. I think they should build in a few more, and if they are not used, make them optional school carnival or open gym days, or something like that.

Answer 9

nope cause u have to make up those snow days at the end of the year so it will make u have more days of school! it really sucks! but i like the 2 hour delays and getting out an hour early. cause u dont have to make up those things which is good. =)

Answer 10

In the UK we don't get any allocated snow days... but if the weather is bad, the Head makes the decision whether or not to close. We got one day off this winter.