Snow days — those short, unexpected respites from school that students always hope for — could be shoveled away if Gov. Bruce Rauner signs a bill the Illinois legislature passed in the waning days of its spring session.
House Bill 2781 would create a three-year pilot program giving up to three school districts the option of eliminating snow days in favor of online learning.
"This is something that has been enacted in a number of states, mostly in the north, including Minnesota and Ohio," said Ray Schroeder, vice chancellor for online learning University of Illinois Springfield. "Many states looking at how they can avoid tacking on snow days at the end of the year."
Schroeder said teachers usually have concluded their planned curriculum by the end of the regular school year.
"When the students come back, some already have been through commencement," he said. "It's hard to get something done those last couple of days."
Schroeder was featured by The State Journal-Register on June 1, 2015.
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