Remote days replace snow days for NYC schools

In response to last weekend’s winter storm, New York City gave its students a remote learning day Jan. 26 – raising fresh questions about the replacement of the traditional “snow day” with virtual learning.

“The announcement Sunday comes as no surprise given that the nation’s largest school district officially ended (its) traditional snow day system when it began the 2022-23 school year,” the local NBC affiliate reported. 

“Rather than cancel school for the day, district officials implemented the remote learning system that the city developed and utilized throughout the pandemic.” 

However, schools experienced technical hiccups in the policy’s implementation. 

“After a snowfall in 2024, the plan failed as many students, teachers, and administrators were unable to log into their accounts, a problem that city officials blamed on a technology contractor,” journalists noted. 

The remote learning model has also drawn increasing criticism since the COVID-19 pandemic, with several states still lagging behind pre-2020 test scores in 2025 reports. 

In one example, Michigan found only 42% of its fourth graders achieved proficiency in reading – increasing to just over half (55%) proficiency in 11th grade. 

“Today’s M-STEP results underscore an urgent truth: too many Michigan students are still not getting what they need to succeed,” said Pamela Pugh, president of Michigan’s State Board of Education. “We need a legislature that puts students over politics.”  

‘Sometimes you just need a day to recharge’ 

Meanwhile, many educational analysts support the idea of snow days as a quick, temporary reprieve for both teachers and students. 

“I think there’s value in these moments of reckless, joyful abandon,” said Ben Blair, principal of Rogers Park Montessori in Chicago. “Whether flopping in the snow or meeting neighbors out on the street shoveling, that human connection that serendipitously happens during a snow day is fantastic.” 

Educators also welcome these days as opportunities to rest from standardized test prep and other responsibilities. 

“When our district doesn’t give a snow day on days we probably should have had one, you can feel the angst among the staff and students,” said teacher Derek Boillat. “Teaching in these months is long and hard, and sometimes you just need a day to recharge.” 

Meanwhile, children can benefit from multisensory snow play, according to pediatric therapists. 

“Snowy days provide great opportunities for heavy work proprioceptive input!” wrote Natalie Machado, MS, OTR/L, an occupational therapist for PlayWorks Therapy Inc. in Chicago. “Proprioception refers to our sense of awareness of body position, which our bodies process by receiving input through the muscles and joints.”