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Digital Divide: Will snow days become a thing of the past?

Classes being canceled for bad weather may soon be a thing of the past.

ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — Minnesota kids know that feeling of anticipation, waking up and rushing to look out the window to see if enough snow fell overnight to cancel class. 

But this winter, schools districts across the state are already prepared to teach students remotely, regardless of the weather outside. That means snow days may become a thing of the past. 

One district already considering a move away from snow days is Robbinsdale Area Schools. 

When bad weather is coming, the district has a plan in place. They'll try to inform parents about the switch to remote learning as soon as possible, so families can make sure their students have everything they need at home, instead of forgotten in their locker at school.

"Bring the device home in case of suspected snow, and alerting families that they may need to have their devices at home well in advance so the learning can continue as needed," Melissa Davy, a middle-school English language teacher said.

It's not lost on these educators that some kids, and even parents, will be upset by the move to continue teaching.

Kevin Burns, the Communications Director for Saint Paul Public Schools, said "When I was a kid I always looked forward to those snow days. The good news for kids these days is that learning and education and advancement can continue regardless of the weather."

In the spirit of adjusting to new changes and routines in 2020, Davy doesn't think the move away from a snow day needs to be seen as a negative. 

"I think we are really looking at how we can expand and just sort of de-traditionalize the way we thought of school and creating other options that may work," she said.

Many of the large school districts across the state, including Minneapolis Public Schools, Saint Paul Public Schools and Anoka-Hennepin Schools are currently in a remote learning model.

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