Mandatory Virtual Learning On Snow Days Proposed In Virginia Bill

VIRGINIA — Snow days would no longer be days off for students if proposed Virginia legislation is passed. A bill prefiled Monday calls for virtual learning days to be required when school districts close for weather, rather than students missing classwork.

The bill was introduced by Del. Daniel Marshall III (R-Danville). Currently, replacing snow days with unscheduled virtual learning days is only optional under Virginia law. School districts cannot have more than 10 unscheduled virtual learning days per school year unless the Virginia superintendent of public instruction approves an extension.

It is unclear if the bill has support to pass. Referral of the legislation to a committee is pending. The Virginia General Assembly convened for its 2023 session on Wednesday.

Some Northern Virginia school districts have transitioned to provide virtual learning days during weather-related closures.

Prince William County Schools relies more on virtual learning during most weather-related closures. Its Code Orange policy, which implements virtual learning during inclement weather closures, was introduced in late 2021, as reported by Inside Nova. Schools could still be completely closed without virtual learning on Code Red days, which involves severe weather emergencies like power outages that can impact virtual learning access.

Alexandria City Public Schools has also turned to virtual learning as the preferred option for inclement weather closures. When ACPS closes school buildings for winter weather, it will shift to asynchronous virtual learning for the first day. If the closure goes beyond one day, ACPS will decide if there will be any changes to the virtual learning format.

"Our goal is to support continuity of learning while also preserving any future days when schools may need to close," ACPS says on its website.

Students at ACPS are encouraged to take home their devices and instructional materials after each school day in case a weather-related closure happens.

Loudoun County, which can sometimes receive more snow than other Northern Virginia counties, takes a different approach. The school district has snow days built into its calendar for inclement weather rather than virtual learning.

"In bad weather, power outages may impact access to the internet, which in some parts of the county is already spotty," LCPS explains on its website. "In addition, some teachers would need to travel to their school buildings to get connected — which would not be possible in snow. In addition, on an instructional day, we are required to provide meals to everyone."

Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia's largest school district, has snow days for the first five days schools close for weather. Beyond those five days, FCPS will provide unscheduled virtual learning days.

"During weather events, FCPS must consider power outages, technical connection issues, and whether students have access to devices that they may not have taken home the night before," the school district say on its website.

Similarly, Arlington Public Schools offers the first seven inclement weather days as traditional snow days. Beyond those seven days, virtual learning will be implemented during closures.