2020 Has Robbed Us of Everything Else, Might as Well Add Snow Days to the List

In the wake of its path of mass cancellations, the COVID-19 pandemic left the detritus of collegiate and professional sports (they’re back… kind of), concerts, conventions, vacations, and most recently the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (it’s going virtual, but still). Look, I’m all about prioritizing public health, so I’ll suck up the cancellation of my beloved state fair. But when you come for my snow days, coronavirus, you’ve officially crossed a line.

Districts take snow days off the table

Typically, many districts across the country build some snow days into the academic calendar, as they can generally anticipate the need for cancellations. But because many districts pushed their start date back, they now need to ensure that students get their full 180 days. Plus, in the event that inclement weather prevents students from safely getting to school, most of us now have some kind of remote learning built in. For these reasons, many districts (including the nation’s largest) have decided to forgo snow days this year.

Where has all the fun gone?

Sometimes I feel like the COVID-19 pandemic has stripped all the fun from everything—most especially, school. I mean, who doesn’t anxiously await that early morning automated message that tells you they’ve canceled school for snow and you can go back to sleep? And nothing beats sipping a warm beverage while you watch the snow fall outside your window. For kids (and kids at heart), a snow day means a carefree day filled with sledding, building snowmen, making snow angels… and not worrying about schoolwork, much less logging onto Zoom.

I get it, but I’m not done complaining

OK, so I know losing snow days doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the snow. There are weekends and afternoons after school. And I know not everyone is a fan of school cancellations for weather. I don’t want to be in school into July either. And after several days of canceled school, I go all Pete the Cat and want to get behind a snowplow, too. But this school year is so full of disappointments that having snow days canceled feels like too much. So pardon me while I go cry into a cup of hot cocoa.

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Plus, Online School is Not Homeschool.