After a massive snowfall Sunday, Western Pennsylvania school districts are grappling with how to approach instruction while maintenance crews continue clearing roads and meteorologists forecast frigid temperatures for the week ahead.
About 10 to 12 inches of snow coated Allegheny and Westmoreland counties by Sunday night. This marks the first time since 2010 that the region has seen 10 inches or more of snow in a single event, according to the National Weather Service.
The majority of school districts called for traditional snow days or pivoted to remote learning on Monday. However, the region hasn’t seen the last of this latest winter blast.
The National Weather Service expects wind chill temperatures to fall between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees Monday night and early Tuesday. Consequently, local municipalities — including Pittsburgh — are declaring states of emergency as they continue to manage icy roads and massive piles of snow.
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That’s why Franklin Regional School District decided Monday afternoon it will have a flexible instruction day Tuesday — its second in a row and fourth of the school year.
“What we’re seeing is really historic in terms of this type of weather,” said Superintendent Gennaro Piraino. “In the past, we really didn’t have options in terms of how to deal with these types of situations. The days had to be made up through physical attendance and learning was disrupted.”
New Kensington-Arnold School District announced last Thursday it would operate remotely Monday and Tuesday to give teachers and students time to prepare, said Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. Students took devices home to participate in virtual instruction and downloaded assignments to complete offline in case of power outages.
“We knew that there was some kind of winter system that was imminent,” he said. “We thought to ourselves, the only way to be the best prepared for any kind of remote instruction was for the teachers to have at least one full school day to get kids prepared, make sure they get their iPads home for the weekend, and have the materials available offline.”
Other school districts, such as Plum, are using a mix of options. The district used a traditional snow day Monday and will use its third flexible instruction day of the school year Tuesday.
“The decision to call a delay, remote learning or a traditional snow day is situational,” Superintendent Rick Walsh said via email. “We do our best to notify families well in advance.”
What schools can do
The majority — 401 — of the 500 K-12 public school districts statewide are approved for flexible instruction days, according to the state Department of Education website. Most schools are permitted to use five flexible instruction days each academic year, conducting classes virtually in the case of an emergency — including inclement weather.
However, a 2023 state education law change has made it even easier for school districts to conduct classes virtually. Before December 2023, the school code required students to attend classes for 180 days and have at least 990 hours of instruction (or 900 hours for K-5). Now, schools are only tasked with meeting either the 180-day or the hourly requirement.
This change allows school districts to count remote instruction toward their annual education requirements more easily, according to Erin James, spokesperson for the state Department of Education.
Schools don’t need to notify the state to conduct classes remotely, even if they are not using a flexible instruction day, James said. But all state academic standards and student instructional needs must still be met, including special education programs.
Superintendent: ‘Safety has to come first’
New Kensington-Arnold is approved for flexible instruction days and used one during a snowstorm in December. But for Monday and Tuesday, the district opted to save its state-approved days and conduct its own “remote modality” days, Sefcheck said.
“There’s so much benefit to the remote modality,” he said, “but if there’s an application for flexible instruction days, we’re going to take it just in case. It’s better to have it and not use it than not have it and possibly need it.”
Franklin Regional used the one traditional snow day built into its calendar earlier this school year — which does not need to be made up, Piraino said. After Tuesday, it will have just one flexible instruction day left for the rest of the school year. The school board would need to vote to approve further use of remote learning, he said.
The possibility of having several remote instruction days in a row is concerning, Piraino said.
“But we also understand that safety has to come first, and knowing that our staff will still have contact with our students — even if it is remote — is something that I find positive,” he said. “It’s not completely asynchronous. There’s that face-to-face opportunity via screen.”
