Gibraltar Schools May Keep the Fun in Snow Days

The Gibraltar School Board on Monday discussed a plan for virtual-learning days when a major snowstorm is forecast, but board members did not agree on whether to allow for at least one or two pure snow days.

Tasked with crafting a school calendar with enough instruction time, Superintendent Brett Stousland this fall proposed that the district set up online instruction or send home assignments, homework, instructional videos and materials on afternoons whenever a forecast makes the cancellation of classes likely the next day.

Board member Jeremy Schwab said young Wisconsinites grow up with a tradition of watching the forecast and hoping for no school. He said he would hate to take away the opportunity for students to have at least one day per school year when they drop everything and play in the snow.

Stousland said he would not declare a virtual-learning day – with either online learning, or downloaded or take-home materials for students who do not have good internet connections – unless the cancellation of school was a foregone conclusion before 2 pm on the day prior to the bad-weather morning.

With neither a motion nor a second in support of a plan to assign students a few hours of learning and assignments at home, board members asked the superintendent to consider not declaring any virtual-learning days until after allowing for one or two snow days devoid of any learning-related concerns. The topic will appear on an upcoming agenda.