School districts differ on snow days, and some parents disagree no matter the decision

While some districts like Wake and Durham gave students the day off due to impending winter weather on Friday, others like Chatham, Chapel Hill and Hoke required students to learn remotely either with classmates or asynchronously, which is self-paced study.

And whatever school districts decide to do, you can guarantee some parents and students won't agree with it.

WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst reached out to school districts across central North Carolina, asking their plans for winter weather.

While some said they'd give snow days, others are using what they learned during the pandemic to switch to remote.

But there are challenges with the latter, Walkenhorst noted. "Bad weather can knock out power, and some students struggle with internet access even still, even in good weather,” she said.

Chip Sudderth with Durham Public Schools says they consider a lot of factors, but the health and safety of students has to be their top priority.

“The ability for kids who are driving and kids who are riding buses to get to and from schools safely, whether there is a risk of power outages at the schools and things like that — all of those things go into the mix," he said. "Today, the weather is not in our favor.”

Sudderth said the district has the technology to go remote as needed for any extended closures. "But sometimes a snow day just needs to be a snow day," he added.

Any decision made affects a lot of families, and some are unhappy with closures they disagree with.

In the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, Guy Wachsman is the author of a petition that argues leaders are too quick to call off school off, which he says is "tremendously destructive" to learning and to parents who need to go to work.

The petition asks state leaders to set rules for weather-related school closures.

Wachsman said he agrees that students shouldn't have to be out on the roads in dangerous conditions. "I just don’t think these conditions have been met,” he said Friday.

"Many days have been canceled, and as I see it, not for a very good reason," Wachsman told WRAL News. “The mental impact it has on children — they should be in school. It is very, very important for them.”

In response, CHCSS spokesman Andy Jenks pointed out that classes in the district were not canceled Friday: students were required to attend online classes. He said the safety of students, families and staff who have to commute from other counties are the district's main concern when deciding on closures or remote days.

"The most appropriate decisions will continue to be made in consideration of a diverse community with varied needs, circumstances, and opinions," Jenks said.