FID program gives school districts more options

Traditional snow days falling by the wayside

Many were delighted Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow Friday morning, indicating an early spring. But in Pennsylvania, where weather forecasts can change on a dime, local school officials said they are prepared for any late-season snow storms.

Since the Flexible Instructional Days program was established by the state during the 2019-20 school year, many districts have utilized the program, but have different needs for doing so. Under the program, schools are permitted up to five days of virtual instruction at each developmental level, which -- unlike traditional snow days -- count toward the required 180-day school year.

Some districts, like Altoona Area and Tyrone Area, have already used three of their five FID days for this year. All of the districts feeding into the Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center collaborate together when making decisions about the timeliness of snow or ice storms, but they all have unique transportation considerations to look at, officials said.

Altoona Area Superintendent Brad Hatch said the district will call an FID by 6 p.m. the day before a weather-related event is forecasted to negatively impact transportation or walkers to school.

"We plan for it because we realize that those events can become difficult for parents," Hatch said. "We want them to know as early as possible if they need to make adjustments to their typical daily routine."

Tyrone Area Superintendent Leslie Estep said the decision to call an FID versus a traditional snow day is not always cut and dried.

She said Tyrone Area will sometimes use a traditional snow day if the day is close to a make-up day on the district's calendar, allowing for a face-to-face session soon after the missed day of school.

On the other hand, she said, it's sometimes advantageous to use an FID if there are teacher activities requiring substitutes on the day that would be missed because of the weather.

"In this case, we may use a FID to continue with the teacher meetings in order to maintain the schedule and still allow for teachers to monitor student activity and work with those who need help," Estep said.

Hatch said Altoona Area tries to utilize FIDs efficiently to avoid interruptions that might happen later in the school year. He said the challenge with traditional snow days is that districts have to make up for those days at the end of the year, cutting into summer vacation plans for parents and teachers alike.

When the district uses an FID, students are given a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning methods, Hatch said.

He said students are provided with the experiences of how to utilize Zoom and other platforms needed to meet with teachers virtually ahead of an FID. There are also gaps in the instructional time frame to give students opportunities to go outside and build a snowman or go sled riding between classes, he said.

"They do have that opportunity, but we also want them to be able to communicate with their teacher with questions they might have," Hatch said, adding live instruction time -- when teachers are available throughout the day -- is built into the schedule to support students in need of help.

Hatch said FIDs are a viable option for Altoona Area. But for the Central Cambria School District in Ebensburg, Superintendent Jason Moore said they are a last resort.

"If we have learned anything from the pandemic, it is that nothing compares with quality in-person instruction and that computers will never replace a great teacher," he said.

Moore said Central Cambria plans snow make-up days in its district calendar, so parents are prepared ahead of making plans.

He said, a few years ago, the district used an FID and ended up having a power outage because of heavy ice accumulation for most of its students and teachers, who were unable to complete assignments online.

"Flexibility is definitely the key whenever FIDs are used," Moore said.

According to Cambria Heights Superintendent Ken Kerchenske, each building principal has flexibility in determining how the FID schedule will work for that day. Some buildings will follow the same daily schedule while others may adjust times for certain classes, he said.

"When students do not have home internet access, we can assist by providing wireless hotspots or making other accommodations to meet the student's needs," Kerchenske said.

Cambria Heights teachers conduct Google Meets with their students, he said, who are submitting their work through Google Classroom.

At the beginning of the school year, the Altoona Area School District surveyed parents about any internet connectivity issues they have, so in the event of using an FID, students are able to learn.

Hatch said about 98% of parents indicated they don't have connectivity issues at home. But for the 2% who do, students are sent home with hard copies of their work the prior day.

"We feel confident that our format does provide students with a true day of education even though they're not physically present in school," Hatch said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.