District cancels snow days, replaces days with eLearning | Prom moves to June in hopes to allow more capacity

District cancels snow days, replaces days with eLearning

Abby Doriot

Scott County School District 2 decided to implement eLearning days for snow days and next year, the school district calendar will have no built-in snow days.

“Historically, if you missed a day, you made it up. In other words, you tacked it on to the end of the school year or used makeup days. Presidents Day, or spring break for us, you would add those days in. In extreme conditions, it was actually added to the end of the school year,” principal Chris Routt said.

Now, instead of tacking days onto the end of school or using makeup days, Scott County schools will operate on an eLearning schedule using Google Meet sessions.

“Technology has emerged and we’ve shifted everything to Canvas for our sake. We can pretty much continue what we’re doing from home. The dynamics change a little bit because those days we’re going to ask you to be on a Google Meet. It’s no different than walking into a classroom with the teachers there,” Routt said.

Many teachers and students enjoy the use of eLearning days for snow days because they allow people to stay connected and invested in their work like they would be on an actual school day.

“I enjoy using snow days for eLearning. It is a way for me to connect with my students and still have the ability to teach even though we can’t be in school,” English teacher Angela Bray said.

For some people, it is not just the connection between the students and staff that helps promote the idea of eLearning snow days.

“I think it is a great way to keep everyone safe on snow days. I enjoy not having to be concerned with driving to school or getting stuck at school with a dangerous drive home,” French teacher Ondra Couch said.

Others, however, miss the old snow days and want to be able to go outside and enjoy the snow.

“I definitely miss the old snow days. When I was little and we didn’t do eLearning, I remember waking up and being excited that we had a snow day because we didn’t have to do anything other than play or chill. Even though it helps us in the long run, I still miss being able to be a kid and have fun in the snow,” junior Kennedy Stivers said.

Implementing the eLearning days in place of full snow days will eliminate the previously set snow makeup days that had been built into the school calendar. Next year’s schedule will not have any built-in makeup days, including the extra week of spring break. Because of that, school will dismiss for the summer before Memorial Day.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out of school earlier. Those last few weeks are always rough, especially when most of the other schools around us are already out of school,” junior Johnathon Perkinson said.

While regular snow days are a thing of the past, these new “snow days” have become a way to ensure that students and staff stay safe and productive during inclement weather.

Prom moves to June in hopes to allow more capacity

Abby Doriot

Prom will move about two months ahead of its originally planned date of April 17 to a Thursday night in June, following graduation. The hopes of moving prom to June 10 will allow more students to attend in light of the same global pandemic that canceled prom last year.

“The concern about prom in April — prom was originally April 17. As of right now, Floyd County’s capacity is about 100 kids. Well, if you do the math, there are more than 100 kids that want to go to prom. So, the capacity restrictions were too unpredictable right now. We’re hoping by June, the restrictions will be lessened so that we can have more capacity,” Principal Chris Routt said.

Not only would the capacity situation become a major problem if prom were held during the school year, but the other issue would remain with quarantining after prom ends and students would return to classes. Contact tracing would prove difficult as people dance and socialize together inside a venue at prom; one would not know who to quarantine if someone contracted COVID-19.

“The second reason, and probably one of the most critical reasons, is if one person at prom had COVID, it would quarantine everyone there. You could potentially take 350 people out of school for two weeks,” Routt said.

While two key issues of having a prom in a pandemic would become easier to control by moving prom to after graduation, other questions remain, such as who will be allowed to attend prom, how will discipline work as students have graduated, how many people can attend prom, and would dates from other schools be allowed to attend prom.

“I don’t know about any specific guidelines just yet because it really depends where we are, like orange or red. That would determine what the specifications are for prom. The same people can still go, though. Juniors and seniors can buy tickets, so if a freshman or sophomore wants to go, a junior or senior has to buy their ticket,” said Tiara English, English teacher and class sponsor.

Along with prom, after prom will continue but with the COVID-19 twists students have come to know since the beginning of the pandemic.

“As of right now, everyone will have to mask up. We’re in the process of figuring out entertainment stuff for it. It’ll be here at the high school, in the gym like it’s always been. It’s going to be $10 per person, and I’m going to start selling tickets whenever prom tickets go on sale,” said Angie Richey, SHS secretary and after prom committee member.

Even with the changes to prom, students should remain optimistic as at least a prom will happen unlike last year.