Augusta, Maine, Schools Roll Out Innovative New ‘Snow Day’ Policy

Even though last winter was not particularly snowy, we did get our fair share of bad storms — December's 'Grinch' storm, for example.

These storms caused schools in many districts to be canceled for several days in a row.

The State of Maine requires that all schools be in session for at least 175 days each school year, which caused some problems for many of Maine's school districts.

It threatened to extend the school year into late June.  Fortunately, with the help of a modified school calendar, and some creative math, the need to extend the school year was avoided.

It appears that the Augusta School District now has a plan to avoid that issue in the future.

According to a press release from the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, given enough lead time, snow days will become remote learning days.  If there is a significant threat of bad weather the next day, the decision will be made to have students work from home.

The press release explains that the decision and notification of parents/guardians will happen by 1 p.m.

As the only nutritious meal that some students get is from school, students will be offered the opportunity to take home a shelf-stable bag lunch for use the next day.

Teachers and staff will be available to help students throughout the morning on remote learning days.

The press release explains, in part:

All teachers will have office hours between 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM for questions and support. They are available via email, which are all listed on the respective school websites, or on our mobile app, under “Staff”.

Additionally, students and staff who are unable to participate in remote learning days due to power and/or internet outages will not be penalized.

The press release goes on to give a breakdown of information specific to certain grades.  You can read it from the Augusta Schools website.

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The decision to implement this procedure was made in June, but we kind of knew that this was coming way before that.  During the pandemic, we all learned that much of the education process could be done remotely.  That being said, there is nothing like the social growth opportunities that exist when learning is in person.

What is your opinion on this?  Are you in favor of it or against it?  Why?