It hasn’t been a very snowy winter across the Finger Lakes, but parents across the region wonder why virtual learning hasn’t replaced snow days. On paper, it sounds like an easy solution. Especially after the pandemic.
However, according to local superintendents, it’s not that easy to switch between in-person and virtual learning. Virtual learning programs require specific links for students to connect with their teachers online, and those links would need to be reactivated and sent out to students, which is not easy to do on short notice.
Moreover, teachers develop lesson plans for in-person classes, meaning that students might not have the materials they need at home that are typically available in the classroom, such as lab equipment.
While virtual learning might seem like a quick fix for snow days, it takes districts weeks to get set up for virtual learning at the beginning of the school year, and it’s not as simple as flipping a switch to reactivate it for a couple of days a year.
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