BALTIMORE — When the weather outside is frightful will your kid's days off be delightful?
The Baltimore City Public School Board held their last meeting of the year this evening and voted on a new plan for snow days.
As a kid, when you hear the word snow you think no school, time with friends building snowmen, throwing snowballs and sipping hot chocolate.
Well those days are about to be less, as the board passed a new plan to implement virtual learning during snow days.
That motion passed with eight in favor, one opposed and one absent.
The Maryland Department of Education proposed using snow days as virtual learning days to the Maryland Public School System, limiting the amount of days off from school when severe weather hits.
The new proposal will allow for schools to use three days as traditional "snow days," having no school.
If the weather calls for districts to close for more "snow days" those will be virtual up to eight days granted by the state.
But those days will have to be made up at the end of the school year in June.
Some parents are happy about approval for virtual learning so kids don't fall behind.
"It makes sense to me cause I mean, safety first and I mean it makes more sense because they'll have as many school days being able to still learn at home,” said Kenneth Johns, whose child attends Baltimore City Public School.
The pandemic gave new light to how children learn, giving opportunity to move the classroom to home.
It also opened up the options for learning at home when other situations call for it, like snow.
But some students feel bringing back virtual learning is not a good idea.
"Mental health is something important and I feel like being in a virtual setting, being cooped up in your room is not ideal for actually learning certain subjects such as math, science things like that. So, I don't think that going back to virtual after those three days would be ideal,” said Trinity Edwards, 12th grader at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
Virtual snow days will be four hours, starting at 9 in the morning and ending at 1:00 p.m.
Attendance will be taken for students and also teachers.
If a student is unable to attend, school officials say it will not impact their grade. There will be opportunities for students to make up work outside the virtual learning day.
School officials say the technology part will still need to be worked out.
Baltimore City Public Schools will be launching community input starting Wednesday, as they are looking to implement this for this school year.
