The district’s inclement weather protocol has recently been released for all students and staff.
The protocol is broken into three different scenarios including school canceled, early dismissal, and e-learning. For School to be canceled there would have to be a concern for technical difficulties in numerous homes.
Principal Steve McWilliams explains a few scenarios that would justify a canceled school day, most dealing with internet issues.
“Let’s just say we had a big ice storm and there were a number of power outages in the area,” McWilliams said. “That would be something that I don’t think we would want to do.”
E-Learning would be used otherwise. The requirements for e-learning is to complete assignments for classes, and having the opportunity to communicate with a teacher through email or zoom. e-learning is beneficial to bridge learning from one to day to the next. If the protocol is needed, e-learning is primarily used to avoid make-up school days at the end of the school year.
“The last day of school is pretty important,” McWilliams said. “So you want to try to keep it within a full week. We don’t want to bleed over to another week.”
E-Learning does count as a full school day, so it would not be necessary to add any extra school days at the end of the year. Unfortunately, some students do not enjoy e-learning, and some do not think it is necessary.
“I don’t really think e-learning is helpful,” senior Marco Beaubien said. “I think it’s very hard to learn virtually. I am a hands-on and visual learner, and it is hard for me to fully understand what I am learning without being taught in the same room, in person.”
There are students who are on the other side of the argument, believing that e-learning is beneficial for the end of the school year schedule.
“I feel like e-learning days are great,” senior Austin Munson said. “It doesn’t take away a day of school, and it doesn’t it doesn’t add a day of school at the end of the year.”