THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC JUST WON’T GO AWAY, AND ITS IMPACTS ON SOCIETY WILL BE WITH US FOR DECADES.

THIS WEEK WE LEARNED OF THE PANDEMIC’S NEWEST VICTIMS: SNOW DAYS AT NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

NEW YORK’S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CHANCELLOR TOLD A LOCAL MORNING SHOW THAT REMOTE TECHNOLOGY USED DURING THE PANDEMIC IS ENABLING THE DISTRICT TO CONTINUE TEACHING, EVEN WHEN THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL.

NEW YORK CITY’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIRST SACKED SNOW DAYS IN 2020, CONTINUED THE POLICY LAST YEAR, AND ARE NOW MAKING IT PERMANENT.

STUDENTS IN NEW YORK ARE REQUIRED TO RECEIVE 180 DAYS OF INSTRUCTION, AND SNOW DAYS HAD TO BE MADE UP AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

NOW, INSTEAD OF SLEEPING IN, WATCHING THE PRICE IS RIGHT AND GOING SLEDDING ON SNOWY DAYS STUDENTS IN NEW YORK CITY CAN LOG ONTO THEIR COMPUTER, COUNT THEMSELVES PRESENT DURING ATTENDANCE, AND FEIGN INTEREST IN THEIR STUDIES.

THE UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS UNION TOLD THE NEW YORK POST TEACHERS NEED TO HAVE A DIGITAL CLASSROOM SET UP BY SEPTEMBER 30 IN CASE OF REMOTE LEARNING.

THE NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM ISN’T THE ONLY DISTRICT IN THE COUNTRY TO DO AWAY WITH SNOW DAYS AND GO TO REMOTE LEARNING.

BUT CRITICS SAY PLANS LIKE THIS ROB KIDS OF CHERISHED LIFE EXPERIENCES, AND THERE’S PLENTY OF EVIDENCE SHOWING REMOTE LEARNING ISN’T EFFECTIVE, AND NEGATIVELY IMPACTS POOR KIDS THE MOST.

THE PRINCIPAL OF A SCHOOL IN CHICAGO SAID SNOW DAYS ARE IMPORTANT FOR A CHILD’S UPBRINGING, BECAUSE THERE’S VALUE IN THOSE MOMENTS OF RECKLESS, JOYFUL ABANDON.