Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the United States, schools across the country have had to turn to remote learning to protect their students’ and staffs’ health. There have been several opinions surrounding the idea of online school, such as believing that it is convenient or viewing it as a toll on students’ mental health. Students and teachers having the ability to do school with the click of a button has prompted a certain question: should students do remote learning instead of having snow days?

The purpose of snow days is to prevent students and staff from having to drive under hazardous weather conditions. Many students enjoy having the day off since it is a day for them to relax and have time for themselves. However, as the pandemic has introduced many people to working from home, it is possible for schools to discontinue snow days; students and staff can virtually attend school without having to worry about driving on dangerous roads.

Via the Trailblazer’s Instagram, a poll was conducted to see how many Hills students prefer snow days or virtual days. Of the 194 participants, 88% prefer closing school in comparison to the 12% who prefer remote learning. 

With the coronavirus pandemic, many people have said that they want to return to a normal lifestyle. Having virtual days instead of snow days would not be considered “normal” since there was no other common way to handle unsafe, icy roads before Covid-19 spread across the country. 

Sophomore Christina Reineke stated, “I think that the school should keep snow days because kids need a day to relax, enjoy the weather, and have a nice day off. Everyone wants to get back to having a normal lifestyle, but keeping virtual school would do the opposite.”

Last year, when Hills was using a hybrid schedule due to Covid-19, there was a day when it was snowing and it was too dangerous to drive to school. Instead of having a snow day, the school called for a virtual learning day. This was a controversial decision, but there was logic behind it. 

This rationality still remains today for many people who believe virtual school is a convenient replacement for snow days. With reasons ranging from the original purpose of snow days to the shortening of long weekends, some people view remote learning as a better option than closing school.

“Snow days are meant to keep everyone safe [from the risky weather], so it seems fair to not cancel school and just do it virtually for a day. Both online school and snow days stop students from driving. I also think it’s better to do virtual school instead of a snow day because we don’t have to worry about days being taken away from certain breaks and vacations we have,” an anonymous junior voiced. 

With Hills’ ability to host virtual classes instead of having a snow day, people wonder which approach is the more ideal one to take. Whether it’s attempting to regain a pre-Covid lifestyle, understanding the actual intention of snow days, and more, many people in the Hills community have different perspectives and reasons regarding hazardous weather conditions.