US district bans snow days for pupils and will make them work from home

Schools in Nevada have put out a ban on snow days for pupils and will ask that they work from home if they cannot make it in.

Children in the Washoe County School District will be among some of the only kids in the whole of the US to be expected to do school work on a snow day as the district sends out new rules this week.

The authority which runs schools in the area sent out messages to parents stating: "This year Middle School will implement a plan for missed instruction due to snow days, or days when the school building is closed. Such days are known as digital days because students learn digitally at home.

"Students will be required to complete all class assignments from digital days. Please ensure that you complete all work that is assigned on digital days so that we can count your student as "present" on digital days."

ABC6 reported that the letter was sent home to parents yesterday, informing that two practice runs of the new process will take place in October.

Washoe County School District website gives pupils instructions on how to access assignments from home in "online classroom days".

The news follows a similar announcement in South Carolina in July, when Anderson County piloted its first "e-learning programme", for teachers to send assignments to their students' school-provided Chromebooks.

“With today's technology, it makes so much sense, from the practical standpoint and financially," the District's Superintendent Tom Wilson told Anderson Independent Mail. "Technology has changed every profession, and we have the technology in place to keep kids working during the snow days and eliminate the makeup days.

Washoe County School District was approached for comment.