How Snow Days Will Work At Newton Schools Amid Pandemic

NEWTON, MA — During a normal year, news of a snowstorm heading for Newton would bring the prospect that school could be canceled. But with online learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, that prospect in Newton has dimmed somewhat.

This year, the state is allowing school districts to shift to virtual learning instead of canceling in-person classes because of inclement weather. In the case of a switch to virtual learning on a snow day, Newton schools Superintendent David Fleishman said teachers will email students and families about the schedule for the day and send out links to facilitate the shift.

"Given our hybrid and distance learning models, we also need to consider a 'technology outage' scenario," Fleishman said in an email to families last week.

A technology outage day would happen when technical problems or power outages affect the systems used for virtual learning, according to Fleishman. He said it's possible such an outage could impact one school and not the entire district.

If Newton schools officials decide on a snow day or technology outage day, they will send out the news by way of a phone call, text message and email. They will also post it to the district's website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts. Cancellations will also be announced on television and radio stations.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.