In the Southeastern part of the United States, snow in the forecast typically means that school systems are going to close down, and depending on the amount of ice on the roads, they could stay that way for a while. Just last week, students residing in the Wake County area of North Carolina were given three days off from school, Monday through Wednesday, as the school board deemed that weather conditions were unsafe for students and faculty to come into the schools. Naturally, the breaking of this news received a lot of praise from WCPSS students, but also a surprising amount of criticism towards the amount of days school was closed.

 Students such as junior Austin Ward believe that the snow days were very beneficial to students: “The school being shut down gave me an opportunity to finish all of my work I have fallen behind on.” On the flip side, junior Esteban Garcia believes, “The closing of school caused more stress on students because when we got back we were forced to take midterms with no teacher review days or preparation.” A surprising number of students back up Esteban’s views and were upset with their respective schools for not postponing midterms. Teachers around Millbrook, however, were in favor of the snow days, as it allowed them to work on semester one grades that will be closing soon. Some teachers also believed that students were given the proper resources, citing the homework and reviews they put on their respective websites.

 Regardless of what side of the argument people are on, Wake County made the decision to cancel school with the safety of students and faculty kept in mind; the black ice on the roads made simple travel a danger. The make up dates for the snow days are former teacher workdays, leaving early releases and spring break alone. Snow days have had a major effect on students and teachers throughout the years, and these snow days are no different. Although school was not in session, students were still expected to do work outside of school, and most importantly, get prepared for the exams that awaited them as soon as the snow days came to an end.