Opting For Less Snow Days: Some Maine Schools Plan For Remote Instead

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools first implemented the concept and practice of "remote learning" models, schools across the nation had another method at their disposal to make sure that kids were able to meet the attendance requirements set forth by each state.

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For instance, in Maine, the Maine Department of Education has listed that Maine students have to go to school for at least 175 days out of the year.

"Each school administrative unit (SAU) is required to maintain at least 180 days for all of its schools with at least 175 days used for instruction. An instructional day must be a minimum of three hours in length for K-12, and for grades 1-12 must average five hours in length over a consecutive two-week period. SAUs that provide meals to students and adhere to the requirements for an instructional day may count a remote day toward the 175 instructional days requirement. "

Usually, schools in Maine set aside up to 5 days that they can use in case dangerous weather starts to brew and they need to call a snow day.

In 2020, some Maine schools started to float the idea of getting rid of "snow days" and putting into a remote learning protocol for when the weather's particularly nasty.

Read More: Bangor To Say Bye-Bye To Snow Days; Opt For Remote Learning

This did not sit well with some parents who argued that snow days were a right of passage for Maine kids, and should remain as an option for days it's too treacherous to travel.

Read More: Bangor Parents Asking for Schools to Reinstate Snow Days

Ultimately, in the case of Bangor Schools, the snow days were reinstituted.

However, the Bangor Daily News is reporting that some school districts in Maine have revisited the option to set aside a smaller number of days assigned as "snow days" instead of utilizing remote learning as a way to get around disrupting students' studies.

"Scarborough will dedicate just two snow days and Portland just three. Both will transition to remote learning for subsequent storms. Augusta schools, however, will implement a flexible policy that prioritizes remote learning days over snow days."

One of the benefits to doing things this way, the article declares, is that the decision to go remote can be made the day before, giving families more of a head-start to line up childcare options and put together a plan.

It will also help ensure that the end of the school year won't go too far into June if it happens to be a stormy year with many snow days.