When Emily Beckman was younger, a snowstorm often meant a day off from school. That changed in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. Like many others across the U.S., Emily’s school district in Colorado switched to remote learning. Her district also changed its snow day policy.
“We only got two traditional snow days, and the rest were e-learning days,” says Emily, now 13.
Even after schools reopened, her district kept its snow day policy. Emily didn’t think that was fair. In November 2024, she started a petition to bring back more snow days. More than 3,400 people signed it. Officials listened. Students at her school now get up to five days off per year during bad weather.
Many people agree that classes should be canceled during storms. 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.