'Cyber snow days:' Why few school districts statewide opted in for the program

Cheers for snow days will still ring out in many homes in Pennsylvania. 

Fewer than 80 school districts, charter schools and others across the state have opted to use "cyber snow days" for the 2019-2020 school year, according to the state Department of Education's website.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill over the summer allowing districts to use the flexible instructional days when school has to be closed for inclement weather, emergencies or other reasons. Up to five days can be used each school year. 

That means students complete assignments at home while the buildings are closed.

Nine school districts and one regional charter school in York County have been approved, according to the state Department of Education's website. 

But in other counties, such as Lebanon and Franklin, none of the school districts are participating.

Statewide, seven applications were denied because the schools did not provide information that met the requirements of the law, such as single-day lesson plans, completed narratives or approved school board minutes, said Eric Levis, a spokesman for the state Department of Education.

Here's a look at some of the challenges:

Unanswered questions remain

The Cornwall-Lebanon School District in Lebanon County is not participating. Supt. Philip Domencic said that when it was rolled out, unanswered questions and implementation challenges remained.

For example, are students really getting access to education while they are at home? Will students have someone monitoring their work? How are the needs of students with disabilities met? What about vocational students?

The question remains whether all of the education can be replicated in an online environment.

"We want to make sure ... all of our students benefit on every instruction day we have," he said. "We need to be able to make sure — be confident — that we can do that."

"We don't want them to lose out on a day of learning," he said.

Domencic said his district will be looking at how cyber snow days are handled in other districts and will consider participating in the future.

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Access to technology a hindrance

For West York Area School District, one of the concerns is the lack of technology for students.

The district is still investing in rolling out devices so that each student has one, Assistant Supt. Erin Holman said.

Several districts have cited concerns about whether students would have Internet access at home. 

The question becomes how the district introduces cyber school days in a meaningful way.

Staff expectations need to be addressed

York Suburban School District did not apply for cyber snow days this year. Supt. Timothy Williams shared one of his reports, outlining the reasons why. In part, it would need to determine what would "constitute a worthwhile alternative instructional day." 

In addition, Williams' report points out that the district would need to work out an agreement with the York Suburban Education Association "that would define teacher expectations for the entire certified staff, not just the traditional classroom teachers. We also must plan for staff members whose responsibilities include such things as special education, physical education, and certified school nurses." 

The district might apply for the program next year, depending on if it can address how the cyber days would be handled.

Helpful lessons learned by districts

Central York School District participated in the pilot program and has been approved again this year. 

" ... we have learned some helpful lessons now that we have been participating in the program for a number of years," said Julie Randall Romig, a spokeswoman for the district.

The Flexible Instructional Days work best when they are planned in advance and allow teachers enough time to prepare materials and lessons for students, she said in an email. It also ensures that families and students know what to expect and can make arrangements as needed. 

"If we cannot plan for a FID by the morning before we may need to use it, we do not use it, because it does not give our staff and our families enough time to plan for a successful experience for all," she wrote in an email.

Red Lion Area School District, which also has been participating, handles it a little differently. The district takes the snow day, but uses the 'cyber snow day' later in the schedule, such as around spring break, said Eric Wilson, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the district.

Wilson said the district has had a lot of success. The approval rating from staff and families has been around 90 percent, he said.

Here are several districts participating:

Adams County

Bermudian Springs

York County

Central York

Dallastown Area

Dover Area

Eastern Area

Northeastern York

Red Lion Area

South Western

Southern York

West Shore

York Academy Regional Charter School