An online petition circulating among students and parents in the St. Vrain Valley School District has gained more than 1,700 signatures.
The petition was started by Karis Barnett, a seventh-grade student at Erie Middle School.
“I started this petition because I thought, on one of the recent online snow days we had, ‘this just isn’t right! Every other district in the area has normal snow days, but St. Vrain makes us do online learning on that day.“
Karis says she misses the excitement and fun of traditional snow days.
“You built snowmen, drank hot cocoa, baked, etc.,” she said. “But for online snow days, you get on WebEx for all of your classes and most of the assignments teachers give us are stuff like ‘draw a snowflake’ and ‘go build a snowman,’ which you could do without it being an assignment.”
The seventh grader said students who have a poor WiFi connection in her class — or no WiFi at all — are marked absent.
“This makes me stressed out,” she said. “The teachers have to make up an assignment super last minute, and it is really stressful for them too, I’m sure.”
The student said online snow days can be stressful for parents too, who often have to troubleshoot technology issues and make sure their child submits their snow day assignments.
When it snows, the St. Vrain Valley School District gives families options, said Kerri McDermid, spokesperson for the district.
“Our families have a choice regarding what they feel is best for their child, and can always excuse their student from online learning,” McDermid said in a statement. “We have had over 90% participation during past inclement weather online learning days, as many parents want their students to have an opportunity to stay connected with their learning and engage with their teachers and classmates in our shortened online learning model, where students attend class virtually for 1.5-2 hours, with the rest of the day serving as a snow day.”
McDermid said many students benefit from the teacher office hours, which give children a chance to receive individualized support and ask questions.
“With all of the technology and capacity within St. Vrain Valley Schools, we feel it is our responsibility and obligation to provide students with every opportunity to learn, while still allowing for families to opt out of the school day if they choose,” her statement read. “Additionally, we know that many future jobs and postsecondary education opportunities will rely on technology and involve a significant amount of virtual communication. Accordingly, we are providing our students with every opportunity to gain the skills and experiences they need to be prepared for success in the future.”
Randy Mills, a parent of an eighth-grade student at Westview Middle School, said he understands he can opt for his child to be absent during online snow days.
“It’s a valid response … but the problem is, if students are really trying to achieve goals, such as perfect attendance, or straight As and things like that … it’s just not fair to the students who have to call in and take a day off,” Mills said. “And I think it’s intriguing that the children took it upon themselves to start the petition.”
Teachers often give students assignments during snow days and then expect them to have the assignment completed by the next day, he said.
Mills said he believes older students should have online learning on snow days, but young students should get a break.
“That’s one of the last exciting things of a child’s life — for them to look forward to,” Mills said.
