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Could school snow days one day be a thing of the past?

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Illinois

If Gov. Bruce Rauner signs House Bill 2781, a pilot program will be created to replace snow days and other days when school would typically be canceled with days where students will receive instruction electronically. That instruction would be in place of using an emergency day that is tacked on to the end of the school year.

The pilot program could be implemented in up to three school districts, which may include one elementary or unit district, and last through the 2017-18 school year. The state superintendent of education would be tasked with selecting the districts. […]

Ottawa Elementary Schools Superintendent Cleve Threadgill is concerned a statewide program could become another unfunded mandate that would be burdensome on schools with a tight budget.

“It could become our responsibility (as a district) to make sure students have access to it,” he said. “That’s a concern.”

The legislation had Republican sponsorship, but bipartisan co-sponsorship. Just two Senate Democrats voted against it, Biss and Manar, with Republican Sam McCann also voting “No.”

Your thoughts?

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 8:57 am

Comments

I wager that snow days disproportionately affect the most rural school districts in the state, the very districts least able to shoulder another expense. These are also the districts that are least likely to have good broadband access. I am also guessing that there are students in many of these districts that don’t have reliable internet at home. Hence, these students could not do the assignments, and would fall behind the rest of their class. I am not sure this is a fully-baked idea. That likely explains Sen. Manar’s opposition to the plan.

Comment by Scamp640 Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:03 am
I’d be worried that this is the camel’s nose under the tent for moving to an all-online educational system. And I think that would be bad.

Comment by the Other Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:03 am
The General Assembly and most politicians spend too much time thinking that they know more than teachers. Examples include adding curriculum requirements that detract from core education.
This bill is just silly. Even where it may be assumed that students have both the proper computer and internet access at home, this is of doubtful value. Homes with 2 or more children require assumptions that each has adequate time on the computer based learning and this assumes sufficient adult supervision to be sure that it happens.
There are more important issues than this waste of time and money.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:06 am
My daughter attends the Arcola School system. Last year the school raised enough private funds to issue ipads to all of the students K-12. The teachers “push” out the students homework to the devices while they’re at school so the student can do their homework on the device at home. It’s a great program but the initial cost for this small school district was over $500K. And even in this day and age not every home has wifi.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:06 am
I like it if it is optional The obvious fear is the expense of implementation.

Comment by SAP Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:07 am
Worth giving it a pilot test.

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:12 am
Is the State going to pay for the computer devices - or is this going to be another unfunded mandate for schools - many of which are already hurting financially?

Also, in many schools in the state there is a sizable number of students who don’t have Internet access at home, especially in poverty and rural homes. Will the State be paying for Internet access too?

Comment by Joe M Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:13 am
For crying out loud. Some lessons are not learned in the class room. Kids probably get more exercise on snow says then on any other day of the year. Lessons are learned on snow days. Lessons like how to build a snow man, how to make snow angel, how to make the perfect snow ball. Just leave it alone for goodness sake. Some of the best childhood memories are made from neighborhood snowball fights, igloo building, and watching the birds gather around the backyard feeder. Let the kids have a few snow days, its part of growing up.

Comment by John A Logan Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:13 am
We have had e-learning in place of snow days for the past two years here in northern Indiana and it works quite well. Students who do not have access to internet have the option of getting “snow folders” at the start of the season that include printed copies of the e-learning work. Most teachers are available via email, text and phone to offer assistance during the snow day.

Comment by El Conqistador Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:14 am
Kind of reminds me of a plan Newt Gingrich had years ago to do away with welfare. He proposed eliminating welfare and giving each former welfare recipient an laptop that would empower them to get out of poverty.

The New Yorker magazine ran an article about that proposal with the title, “Let them eat laptops. They may not be able to afford shoes, but now at least they will be able to boot up”

Comment by Joe M Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:16 am
Tough being a kid. You can check their grades online. Messages from school go to email, so no use intercepting fhe postman. Now the end of snow days, one of the happiest days in any kid’s life.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:17 am
Another unfunded mandate says it all. Unless free internet is made available in every district household, it’s unfair as well.

Comment by Wensicia Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:19 am
Ridiculous.
My kids bring home literally thousands of homework assignments throughout the school year. There are no longer family dinners. They have been replaced with school work, tantrums, arguments and threats in order to do the daily assignments. It is a nightmare.

This plan can work if you have only one child with full access to media. It is not realistic for working parents. It is not realistic for parents of more than one or two kids. It is not realistic.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:21 am
So, how would this work with a power outage? Or a home with many students?

Comment by Omay Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:23 am
For poor urban districts, many students don’t have access to the internet at home — even if the school district is able to buy iPads or other devices to send home with students. That becomes an ongoing expense that the district must maintain, and every school board meeting you get to listen to a litany of irritated grumpy old people who disapprove of technology, and poor people, and are still mad we’re giving students up-to-date science textbooks because “physics hasn’t changed!”

Second, in many large urban districts, districts resist snow days anyway because many students don’t have heat or don’t have access to food without federal breakfast and lunch at the school — it’s not the loss of instructional time that matters, it’s that kids go hungry for several days in a blizzard.

This sounds like an expensive solution to a very minor problem that totally fails to address the real issues for underachieving students.

Comment by Educated in the Suburbs Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:24 am
Nov., 2014 Census Bureau report on Internet access/lack of, in Illinois:
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2014/cb14-r38.html

However, they only looked at cities - and not rural areas. I know from experience that students at many rural schools do not have Internet access.

Comment by Joe M Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:27 am
This is going to wind up costing rural school districts dearly. It may sound innocuous and silly, but some private vendor is going to make a great big pot of public money with it, and it sounds like it’s designed to lead eventually to a statewide charter school district.

Comment by olddog Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:29 am
Whether or not this is ultimately a good idea in the long run, it seems perfectly reasonable as a pilot program. Give it a shot in a couple districts and see what happens.

Comment by Doofman Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:36 am
Make the days up at the end of the school year like they used to do…I think these superintendents want to start summer break early.

Comment by foster brooks Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:37 am
Snow isn’t supposed to form on Earth after 2008.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 9:56 am
“Unless free internet is made available in every district household, it’s unfair as well.”

Just have one of the servants take the Land Rover out of the second garage and drive them down to the country club to use the clubhouse wireless. Or just have the children’s governess give the lessons.

About one in five children in Illinois live in poverty. High-speed internet access may seem like a necessity to us, but to the struggling families of those 600,000 kids, it’s a very expensive luxury.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:00 am
Just a cautionary tale from LA of deploying tech inside/outside the classroom. Planning is important but the question is whether there are any real benefits from creating/maintaining a technology infrastructure to address a few days of school. Save the joy of the snow day!

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-ipad-report-20150113-story.html

Comment by Res Melius Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:08 am
Someone should make a list of “unfunded mandates” I have been hearing about them for years, but not being in the school business I’ve never seen one.

Comment by Outsider Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:09 am
This is becoming increasingly more popular for administrators to dive into, but ask teachers about the programs and they will tell you that it’s a coordination nightmare that receives no support from administrators beyond “just have class online.” No rules govern this “workday:” is it homework, is it teaching, time spent equal contractual workday, consistency among disciplines(PE: go shovel!)??

Tough sledding on this one…yes, intended snark.

Comment by Now What? Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:15 am
I generally think any pilot program is a good idea. If it doesn’t work then fine, you don’t move forward with it. If it does work or has potential then great.

Comment by Just Me Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:16 am
Judging from my teacher friend’s social media “Countdown to Summer Vacation” posts, it can’t hurt to try and engage kids while the teachers aren’t checked out. Then again, they are kind of checked out when they get a day off in the winter, too.

I may be dating myself, but we didn’t have AC in elementary through junior high school. Those summer days could be pretty brutal, even with the windows open and fans on high. Extending the year into summer was avoided; I think I had maybe three snow days from K-12th grade.

A pilot program seems just right. Some people’s resistance to change on this blog is astounding.

Comment by ChrisB Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:27 am
Sounds like a good idea, I just don’t know if we’re there yet. Right now it may just be too costly to implement, especially given our current financial state. A pilot program to see how it may go seems okay, though.

Comment by Checkers Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:30 am
Mr. Jay Em -

Comcast - the largest internet provider in Illinois - has a high-speed program for families in need. $10 a month. Seems like a pretty easily solution to a problem.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:40 am
Who’s making sure this is implemented? As a teacher, I always sent home extra work ahead of major snow storms – just in case. I can’t say I expected it to be completed. Snow emergencies (e.g. power outage), kids being shuffled around to daycare or other family members because mom has to work, and just plain fun make snow days unpredictable for kids. Not to mention the tech gap for some regions.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:41 am
==I think these superintendents want to start summer break early.==

My kids’ summer break started yesterday. I have no problem with a pilot program. Anything that cuts the snow days out is fine by me. June 19 is way too late to be in school.

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:45 am
Perhaps a better (and more realistic) solution is year-round school with more attendance days. As many have stated before, our school system calendar is antiquated and in need of update.

Year-round school also addresses some poverty/hunger issues, as schools remain viable for breakfast and lunch.

It makes sense all around.

Comment by xxtofer Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:59 am
=About one in five children in Illinois live in poverty.=

On average, but that density gets pretty high in some areas. Still, you make an excellent point.

=Comcast - the largest internet provider in Illinois - has a high-speed program for families in need. $10 a month. Seems like a pretty easily solution to a problem.=

That only works if they are your provider. many rural areas do not have a cable internet provider, especially in the deep southwest and southeast parts of the state.

=Someone should make a list of “unfunded mandates” I have been hearing about them for years, but not being in the school business I’ve never seen one.=

Go to the IASA website, it is a lengthy list.

=I think these superintendents want to start summer break early=

Schools still do make up the days. The legal limit is 10 without paying staff for the additional days (even though they were paid for the snow days). Superintendents are generally 12 month employees, the “break” does not matter.

Year round school is an excellent option for schools, especially high poverty areas. A long year would help too. The best research available tells us shorter breaks and more time in school help kids catch up and maintain what they have learned. This is one area where the IEA and IFT have been an obstacle. The AC issue is real for many schools as well. Talk all you want but kids don’t learn much in a room that is 90 degrees or worse.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 11:11 am
To the actual post, online instruction is a good supplement for kids. Some teachers have gone to a “flipped classroom” and make instruction available via a podcast. Kids can go to it when they are working on their homework or if they missed class due to illness etc. In that regard it is very helpful.

Full online instruction can work for some, but many students need the adult in the room for support. Questions do not get asked or answered as well in the online setting, it is just a bit harder for that to happen. The student needs to have some motivation and discipline for the online component when it is the main source of instruction. I have experienced both success and failure with kids in this area. We have used it for credit recovery and for students interested in getting ahead. You may be able to guess which one has the most success.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 11:15 am
JS Mill is right about the heat-my wife taught for over 20 years in a school designed for air conditioning, but not installed. One small window for ventilation; each room had a doot that could be opened then the school shootings, etc. came around and the school was locked down.
I cannot get comcast; am on the wrong side of the railroad tracks.
Our school has ipads; but a lot of kids around here do not have wifi. Sounds like it might work for some better-off areas or private schools, but think that it is a little too advanced or expensive at this point in time.

Comment by downstate commissioner Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 11:30 am
Let’s just do away with school all together.

If the Internet is just as good as a classroom, why have classrooms at all? Think how much we’d save on utilities, not to mention teacher salaries. Why, the entire problem of underfunded schools would vanish instantly! So would CPS’s pension squeeze. No more student disciplinary issues, either. Or paying for buses.

We could still have recess, and PE. Just have monitoring cameras to keep track of the students and someone on the other end to say “Hey–start doing those jumping jacks! Now!” in the event that someone starts sloughing off.

Yes, this is an excellent idea. When you think about it, doing this would solve every problem that currently exists with public schools. Amazing that it isn’t in place already.

Comment by A Modest Proposal Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 11:43 am
Pilot program, fine. That should maybe give the educrats time to hear from parents, teachers, and gosh, maybe a few students about how goofy an idea this is.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 11:45 am
This bill limits the pilot to three school districts who would choose to apply for the program and would have to be approved by the State Board of Education. That is absolutely not an unfunded mandate.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:17 pm
Are you going to give each student a computer and also pay for their Internet access to ensure they can ==attend== on those days?

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:18 pm
My daughters’ catholic school has done this for the last 3 years. We didn’t have internet service available in our very rural location - 20 miles from downtown St. Louis! Our choice was Verizon hot spot or dial up. This wasn’t a problem though because the majority of snow days are not needed -we just drove to town and used the library, MacDonalds, or the school. Also, I just read an article that the FCC is getting ready to offer Obama Internet in lieu of the phone.

Comment by Southwest Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:19 pm
If the school district opts into the program, they made the choice. They’d be the ones who decide how to pay for it and what to do. I’m not saying the idea is good or bad. I’m just saying the law wouldn’t be a state mandate on school districts.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:21 pm
== Let the kids have a few snow days, its part of growing up. ==

Completely agree with you, John A Logan. Snow happens!

Comment by Mattman Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:23 pm
Snow days are chaos, parents who work have to scramble for daycare. Compound that with the need to find a provider with sufficient broadband, and the need to find enough connected devices for each kid. That might be okay for wealthy suburban schools but rural and or poor its just not feasible.

Comment by relocated Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:23 pm
As a former child, I protest!

Comment by Come on man! Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:24 pm
= I’m just saying the law wouldn’t be a state mandate on school districts.=

No, but anyone that has been around for more that a week can see how this could lead to yet another unfunded mandate.

The pilot is worth the time and effort, I am certainly not opposed to a pilot or the opportunity to opt in, we may give it a shot. But, given the state’s woeful record for supporting schools in Illinois, any ISBE or legislative effort to REQUIRE anything more of schools should be mercilessly obliterated.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:26 pm
Dear Adults,

“Rosebud!”

- The man who had everything but his childhood

Comment by George OhWell Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:35 pm
Not only will the state end up buying some type of device, but what about the connection services? Rural Illinois in many cases does not cabled internet services. Who’ll pay for this? This is nuts!!

Comment by Union Man Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 12:44 pm
Our high school is already doing this for the AP classes that are jointly held with the community college. But that’s a pretty small cohort of our oldest & most motivated students in the district who make it work.

Comment by Rayne of Terror Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 1:06 pm
“Someone should make a list of “unfunded mandates” I have been hearing about them for years, but not being in the school business I’ve never seen one.”

ISBE or one of the lobbies (superintendents? school boards?) provides a list every year, it runs to around six pages, single-spaced, and runs from common-sense things like clocks in every classroom to curricular things like teaching the Armenian genocide (which I’m not sure I’ve EVER seen complied with) to every high school student having to pass automatic external defibrillator training to graduate to running “school shooting” drills to new bullying and internet safety training for all teachers and students. It adds up in the aggregate to a lot of diverted time and resources on issues the state thinks are important enough to pass a law about, but not important enough to fund.

Comment by Educated in the Suburbs Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 1:10 pm
Poor kids could just go to the library for internet access on snow days right?

Oh wait…(1) public libraries have fewer computers than schools have kids, (2) it’s a bit tough to travel on snow days, and (3) often libraries are closed on snow days as well.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 1:19 pm
They can pry snow days from my cold, childhood hands.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 1:29 pm
“Comcast - the largest internet provider in Illinois - has a high-speed program for families in need. $10 a month. Seems like a pretty easily solution to a problem.”

It’s very easy. All you have to do is ignore the vast blank areas of the state not covered by Comcast: http://corporate.comcast.com/images/image-2-large-dlc-blog.png

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 1:50 pm
Well over 9 million people in Illinois are covered by Comcast. I’m aware that not everyone has access to high-speed internet. I’m aware of the roadblocks to laying fiber optic cables in a lot of rural areas. But if the arguably largest internet provider in the Midwest can offer such a discounted program, then this pilot program has a better chance to succeed in the areas where Comcast offers services.

Comment by Team Sleep Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 2:06 pm
=It adds up in the aggregate to a lot of diverted time and resources on issues the state thinks are important enough to pass a law about, but not important enough to fund.=

Very well put.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 3:02 pm
What about all the “tax eaters” who dont have computers and internet? And who will pay for the internet backbone upgrades to support thousands of kids logging in at once….

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 3:18 pm
Idea may be doomed. Who will enforce/supervise the work online in the home on a snow day? It could develop independent learning skills and heightened sense of responsibility for their own learning for some students, but others?…………

Comment by AnonymousOne Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 4:01 pm
I would hope this also means the state would be behind a program that would get internet service to everyone, especially in the rural areas.

Comment by Cheryl44 Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 4:22 pm
Not all student’s have access to a computer or the Internet at home. Will the students fail the class because their parents either don’t have the money. Plus some parents refuse to purchase a computer for their children for various reasons.

Comment by Mama Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 4:27 pm
This is wrong, just wrong. Snow days are one of the greatest memories of being a kid. That should not be taken from anyone.

Additionally, outside of towns, high speed affordable internet access can be problematic. Bad idea.

Comment by Lt, Guv Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 6:33 pm
- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Jun 23, 15 @ 10:40 am:

Mr. Jay Em -

Comcast - the largest internet provider in Illinois - has a high-speed program for families in need. $10 a month. Seems like a pretty easily solution to a problem.

I know you mean well, Sleep, but a few issues with your statement.

1. Comcast doesn’t have a monopoly for internet service in the state of Illinois, and they don’t serve rural areas. (and I’m not advocating to give them one, either!!) If you’re with Mediacom or another provider, what options are available to you? What about the rural areas that don’t have broadband? Are we supposed to pay for satellite internet for poor families in rural areas?

2. To qualify for Comcast’s reduced price offer, your kid has to be free or reduced lunch.

3. If you have a previous unpaid bill with Comcast, you must pay that bill off before they will give you the reduced rate. If I remember from past comments, aren’t there 2 little sleeps? Imagine trying to pay for all their back-to-school needs with about 1/10th of the income you and Mrs. Sleep have currently, AND then you must send Comcast $10/month (plus taxes and fees) for internet. Most families in that situation don’t have home access to internet.

4. The Wall Street Journal did an article about how McDonald’s is the largest provider of internet access in the U.S. (I believe it ran in Feb. 2013.) Poor folks access wifi on their smartphones at McD’s, but if the roads are closed by snow or city buses aren’t running, how do you get there for your kids to do their school day homework?

I’m on a local school board, and I personally oppose this. The sponsers are well-meaning, but too many kids won’t be able to take part in this unless the school districts start paying for devices and home internet. Great situation if you are a device maker or seeking customers to pump the number of subscribers to your internet company, but yet another bloody unfunded mandate on local districts.

Maybe this should be put off for another 20 years…

Comment by Lynn S, Wednesday, Jun 24, 15 @ 10:28 pm