No matter what grade or district one may be in, there is one thing that unites all students: the joy of hearing the phone ring during a snowy night to spread the word that school for the next day has been cancelled. This celebratory tradition has been a staple of American childhoods for generations, though it may be coming to an end soon. 

Remote learning has made all sorts of advances in the last several years, and in 2020 it became apparent that it is an efficient way to get students their education in a pandemic-safe format. Millions of Americans have taken part in virtual learning this year, and it raises the question: even if we are not in school during what would be a snow day, can students still be taught on the computer? The answer is yes, and some schools across the nation have implemented this strategy already.

In Massachusetts and New York alone, 39 percent of principals and educators claim their districts have eliminated snow days from the fabric of the school calendar, opting to host virtual learning sessions from home.

Thanks to the ongoing pandemic, all facets of people’s lives have been disrupted and changed forever, with perhaps the brunt of the hurt plagued upon America’s most active – its youth. Sports have been cancelled, dances shut down, restaurants and recreation establishments closed- what more can be taken away from these kids?

As of now, it looks like it will be the snow day.

Long gone will be the days of waking up past the start of school in a panic, only for your parents to walk into the room and tell you to look out the window. Maybe never again will children be able to run outside and have a neighborhood-wide snowball fight. 

Yet another part of American students’ lives may be changed forever, is districts decide that one day’s worth of education is more important than years’ worth of memories.