When Emily Beckman was younger, a big weekday snowstorm always meant a day off from school. That changed in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. Emily’s school district in Colorado switched to remote learning, as did many others across the U.S. Her district also changed its snow day policy.
“We only got two traditional snow days, and the rest were e-learning days,” Emily explains.
Even after schools reopened, her district kept its policy. Emily didn’t think that was fair.
“Snow days are a big part of childhood,” says Emily, now 13.
In November 2024, she started a petition to bring back more snow days. More than 3,400 people signed. Officials in the district listened, and students now get up to five days off per year during harsh winter weather.
Many people agree that classes should be canceled when the weather is bad. They say kids—and teachers—deserve a break.
But others think learning shouldn’t stop when snow starts falling. They say remote learning cuts down on disruptions that come with school closures and keeps students on track.