New Penn. law ends snow days as we know them, enabling schools to have students work from home

Goodbye snow day. Hello flex day.

Gov. Tom Wolf has signed into law a measure that allows schools to declare a “flexible instruction” day for bad weather (including snow), building issues or even a security threat. It passed the Legislature with virtually no resistance after trial runs in several districts.

Students could continue instruction remotely while out of school through online or offline instruction, or a combination of the two, as a type of cyber-snow day. Each district would be limited to five such days a year. They are optional for each district.

The program is “not meant to be an alternative form of instruction for students,” said Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, the bill’s sponsor. She said schools in her legislative district liked it during a pilot program overseen by the state Education Department.

Read more: https://www.mcall.com/news/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pa-snow-flex-days-20190703-b3u4lom4jffpdltmkzjdij47b4-story.html
(Allentown Morning Call)