In the midst of the snowy season, many students cross their fingers every night for hopes of a day off. Currently, Loudoun County Public Schools incorporates 15 pre-designated snow days into its academic calendar, ensuring compliance with the mandatory 180 days of instruction while keeping students and teachers on schedule.
“I love snow days, obviously. However, coming back from snow days can be a little overwhelming because tests and assignments are pushed back, and we often have to work a little faster,” says Kaitlin Tan, a freshman at Briar Woods.
“As a teacher I love snow days!” “I’m not the type of teacher to give kids work on snow days. It’s a day off!” said Mr.Lucas, history teacher at BWHS.
As of January 2024, Loudoun County has only experienced three snow days, even in what is considered a notably more snowy year. History shows that LCPS has rarely come close to exhausting the allocated 15 days. This has led to instances where staff and students find themselves attending school for almost two additional weeks.
“I didn’t know that, but that sucks. Virginia does not get much snow, and there have already been cuts on our days off, like winter break, so I see no reason why we have 15 built-in snow days. Extra school for no reason,” Tan mentions.
This prompts the question: Should LCPS reform their snow day policy?For Instance, Fairfax County incorporates only five built-in snow days. If this limit is exceeded, students transition to virtual learning, providing flexibility for snow days while ensuring the fulfillment of required learning hours without the burden of extra school days. However, this approach has faced criticism for being less lenient due to the limited number of built-in snow days.
“I don’t think they’re stingy about snow days necessarily, as oftentimes there really isn’t much snow on the ground. However I know a lot of people are frustrated that often Loudoun gets more snow days than us,” Khadeeja Rafiq, a sophomore at Westfield High School in Fairfax County shares.
Consideration should also be given to other models, such as asynchronous learning on snow days, as employed in Maryland’s Montgomery County. Prince George’s County implements synchronous learning on snow days, resembling the virtual school setup from 2020. While some argue about the challenges associated with online learning, this approach allows there to not be an excessive amount of leftover days, to the benefit of overworked staff and students.
“I know other counties do asynchronous learning nowadays and I’m like no way!” Lucas comments, mentioning again how he believes snow days should be a proper day off.
“Loudoun County Public Schools has never required virtual learning on inclement weather days — and plans to stick with that approach this year,”said Natalie Allen, District Spokeswoman of Loudoun County, mentioning how problems, such as wifi being down due to the snow, could affect the quality of learning.
LCPS’s current policy is effective in making sure schools do not run behind and do not have to resort to online school. However, the excess amount of snow days are put in question.
