Across the nation, snow days are beloved for being a comforting break from school. At Edina High School, the district approved two such breaks in a row—though only one was due to the weather, while the other was caused by a power outage. 

The process of deciding to cancel school for a snow day is strict. The superintendent must work with their team, look at the weather radar and information from the National Weather Institute, and confer with other superintendents in the metro area. They must also check the city’s progress in terms of plowing, how regular transportation is operating, and whether school buses can operate. On January 5th, the superintendent team made the decision to have a two hour late start. However, as the weather worsened and the forecast looked down, they decided to switch to eLearning.

According to AP Government teacher Erik Anderson, snow days are not a typical occurrence at EHS, despite Minnesota’s unpredictable weather. “I’ve been in the district 23 years, and I would say my first 10 or 12 years, we didn’t have any—or at least very, very few.” Nonetheless, as teachers already have their online lesson plans set up from distance learning during COVID-19, the transition to snow days is easier for the district. “Having the knowledge that you can do eLearning definitely plays a role into it,” Anderson continued.

Freshman Paige Zweber agrees that eLearning is convenient for snow days. “Most students are already accustomed to it,” she said. “We can adapt faster.”

Still, with finals coming up, some wonder if the adaptability is enough. “It’s not ideal. It’s going to require students to focus in. Particularly, some students who checked in but didn’t actually do the lesson, it’s going to put some pressure on the teacher and the student,” Anderson said. 

Senior Sabeeh Mirza agreed. “It’s going to be rough, but having a normal week next week will really help get back into the mindset for finals,” he said. “Having Friday [in school] will get us back there.”

At EHS, snow days are rare—and sometimes, with finals, they’re inconvenient. “It’s the default to be in school, and everyone agrees that we want to have our kids in person,” EHS principal Andy Beaton said. “But the eLearning helps cut the losses.”