Snow Days Won’t Go Online For Cedar Rapids Students

As the winter of our pandemic-strained lives progresses, it's becoming a concern for many parents how "snow days" will be handled. While the state of Iowa has given districts a choice to utilize the online option on inclement weather days, many are choosing to keep the snow day tradition alive.

Despite the pandemic seeing many students taking online classes already, and the quick flexibility to switch all kids over to the virtual option in the case of inclement weather, representatives from both the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) and College Community (Prairie) schools told the Cedar Rapids Gazette it will be handled as it always has. If the schools call off for the day, all students, both online and in-person will be off, and the day will be made up at the end of the year. Students will NOT automatically switch to virtual learning for snow days.

They say it's because internet access may be a challenge to many students despite all of them being given devices to take virtual instruction from home.

Linn-Mar is taking a different approach. If they have sufficient notice based on weather forecasts at least a day early, they can notify staff and students that online learning will be required.

Iowa City Community Schools had already announced that snow days will become virtual learning days.