COLLINSVILLE, IL (KMOX) - The pandemic may be eliminating another school year tradition.
The "snow day" may be a thing of the past.
Days off during bad weather are cherished by kids, but get too many in one year and that means extending school days into the summer.
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Collinsville, Illinois schools have proposed a plan to turn weather or emergency cancellations into E-Learning days.
Unit 10 Superintendent Dr. Brad Skertich says the concept was approved by the Illinois legislature last year, however without learning devices for each child, it wasn't feasible. Until the pandemic forced the district to get those devices to all students.
"Now that we have devices in children's hands Kindergarten through 12th grade, we can still conduct a learning environment whether they are at home or at school," Skertich says.
Due to the pandemic, students in the district have been on a hybrid schedule working remotely several days a week.
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The E-Learning plan would operate much the same way -- attendance would be taken and students required to work on activities and assignments during a snow or emergency day. Teachers would be available remotely.
"Throughout the pandemic when we've been in hybrid or remote setting, we've had students live and conducting their homework and lessons with their teachers on the screen. We've had kids watching the lessons and doing it at later times and teachers interacting with them via email or Google meets," explains Skertich when asked about possible concerns of parents who may have to juggle work with their children's e-learning days. "I think what I would say is our teachers have shown they will be flexible to meet their students needs and that would continue in this type of setting as well."
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The district will hold a public hearing on the plan next week.
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