In September 2022, several social media posts alluded to the end of “snow days” in New York City’s schools, many of which lamented the end of giving staff and students the day off because of inclement weather:
A Reddit user shared the thread above to r/newyorkcity, a subreddit for discussion about the region and news related to it. As of September 8 2022, the most popular comment on the thread voiced skepticism that the decision was properly considered or feasible:
Fact Check
Claim: New York City schools have disclosed an end to “snow days,” citing recently introduced virtual schooling practices.
Description: New York City schools have decided to eliminate ‘snow days’, when schools close due to wintry weather, starting with the 2022-2023 school year, citing the benefits of remote learning.
Not my comment. Copied from the article comments.
“This guy is a clown. Remote instruction is not something you can just snap your fingers and turn on. So many schools struggled to make effective remote instruction with a year and a half to try to get it right, and now on a few hours notice schools across the city will have to make it happen? No effective instruction will happen on these days. This is an idea that sounds good to someone who has no idea how our schools operate.
In another comment, the thread’s original poster (OP) asserted that the decision would adversely affect working class parents of children in city schools:
My apologies to all the parents of public school kids who are also NYC employees who are not allowed to WFH under any circumstances, even extreme weather events. Guess your kids will be home alone or you use PTO and the city comes to a halt. Bummer.
Of course, the thread also involved nostalgia about snow days:
The joy of a snow day is exquisite. It’s like a surprise Christmas, where all your friends are free at the same time, and with no family obligations. The hopefulness the night before, hearing the forecast, wondering if you’ll get enough snow to cancel school, looking out the window first thing when you wake up to see if enough fell to make it a sure thing. Watching the school closure ticker scroll on the local news (I’m old), or listening to z100 or 1010 wins listening for your district to be named. It’s the anticipation and then the elation when you realize you have a whole day ahead of you with no expectations and no obligations. Absolutely one of the purest pleasures of my childhood. DOE is hugely misguided here. My kids are in a different district but I’d be sorely tempted to just not send them in. Childhood is so so much more than school.
A September 6 2022 Facebook post from local Fox affiliate WNYW racked up shares and similar comments. An attached news article referenced comments made by Chancellor David Banks on the morning show Good Day New York:
On “Snow days” or days when school buildings are closed due to an emergency, all students and families should plan on participating in remote learning.
[…]
[Under New York State] law, students must attend class 180 out of 365 days. By switching to remote learning on bad weather days, it makes it easier for schools to meet the mandate.
Social media posts indicated that New York City schools intended to discontinue “snow days” (the closure of schools due to wintry weather) in the 2022-2023 school year in favor of “remote learning,” after Chancellor David Banks disclosed the decision on a regional morning news show. Reaction to the announcement was broadly unfavorable; commenters remarked that the decision would have an adverse effect students, and that it would likely cause headaches for parents unable to take “snow days” off in order to supervise remote learning.
- Snowed out: New York City public schools scrap all future snow days, Chancellor Banks says | Reddit
- Snowed out: New York City public schools scrap all future snow days, Chancellor Banks says | Reddit
- Snowed out: New York City public schools scrap all future snow days, Chancellor Banks says | Reddit
- Snowed out: New York City public schools scrap all future snow days, Chancellor Banks says | Reddit
- NYC public schools snow days are eliminated | Facebook
- NYC public schools snow days are eliminated