Wallingford schools plan on eliminating snow days and replacing them with at-home virtual learning. Very few childhood acts remain unchanged due to COVID-19. Why should they take away ANOTHER thing that brings students a sense of normalcy and hope? Snow days are chances for students to just be kids again. It gives them a chance to relax, play in the snow, spend time with family, bake cookies, read, or watch movies. Students are already under an extensive amount of stress and don’t get much of an opportunity to socialize. These years are meant for memory making and we should have opportunities such as snow days to enjoy our lives. Snow days should remain intact to provide students with a sense of joy and a break from our dull, repetitive schedules. 

     Students, however, aren’t the only ones who will benefit from snow days. They also provide educators with a well deserved break from all the hard work they put into their jobs. Snow days would give them a chance to relax, spend time with family, catch up (or stay up to date) with grading, and plan their agenda for upcoming classes. Both students and teachers need the occasional break to prevent burnout and improve their mental health. 

     The issues with canceling snow days aren’t restricted to just mental health. Virtual learning with bad weather will be very impractical considering that more intense weather will interfere with internet connection. It may be difficult for students and teachers to communicate during Google Meets due to poor connectivity and it may turn out to be a waste of time.

     The best solution is to maintain the implementation of snow days in the Wallingford school district.