Teachers, students, and parents in our school system just received a call that school is cancelled tomorrow for inclement weather.

Not a call that said we would be fully remote because of a winter storm, but an actual “snow day” is being issued.

There has been talk that with the pandemic and the move to more remote learning there might be the chance that there would never be the need to actually have a “snow day” again for wintery weather.

But we should always have snow days – days where nature shows us just how beautifully powerful it can be while providing us with a real-life lab for exploration.

Not all snow days provide a picturesque scene or ideal conditions for outdoor play. Power outages and the need to keep warm or protect property and take care of other pressing needs that a storm can bring provide more compelling reasons to have “snow days.” To think that we are forcing families to adhere to a school day schedule while they are having to tend to weather related matters is adding to an already stressful situation.

If these days were already built into the school calendar, then we should use them even if there is a few inches of powdery snow and people still have power and connectivity. It becomes a chance for physical activity, time in nature, and a mental break from what has been a rather turbulent time.

And maybe, just maybe it will get us to talk a little bit more about climate and climate change.