The use of virtual school during the pandemic brought an end to snow days, as schools quickly realized they could close their buildings during inclement weather while still counting it as a school day if students logged on to their laptops at home. That won’t be as much of an option moving forward.
Beginning in 2026, schools will be limited to two virtual learning days a year after approval of a new bill by the Oklahoma Legislature.
State Rep. Anthony Moore, the bill’s author, claimed that some districts had clocked in a whopping 43 virtual days last year.
“My own children had two virtual days where they had no instructional material!” said Moore, R-Clinton.
Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, a former educator, pushed back on that notion, telling Oklahoma Voice she didn’t believe virtual days equated to no instruction.
“Every virtual day I’ve ever been involved in really still required a lot of instruction and support on my part as a teacher,” she said.
Whatever the case, soon, a snow day will once again be a snow day.
This article appears in City crowned.