Random Thoughts: Are Snow Days Even A Thing Any More?

If you pay attention to the news, you're aware that roughly half the country is currently dealing with massive snowstorms. Meanwhile, a good portion of the snow here in Montana, that we received just last week, is already melting off.  This odd contrast got me to thinking:  Are snow days even a thing any more?

I have lived in Montana all my life, and in my entire scholastic experience, I can't recall ever having a snow day the way it's portrayed in the media.  There was never a morning where I woke up, saw a inches-deep layer of fresh snow on the ground, then heard the announcement come over the radio and TV that my school was closed on account of snow.

The closest I ever got to the mythical snow day as a kid was when the road conditions were bad enough that the school buses wouldn't run.  Kids who lived on farms outside of town basically got a snow day, but the kids who lived in town still had school, so it was something of a gray area.  All the farm kids would just make up the day at some later point.  In elementary school, I was one of the farm kids, but since my mom was a teacher, she would drive me and my sister into town and we went to school.

Now, working here as long as I have, I'm well aware that schools can and will close when needed, because someone from the school district(s) will notify us and ask us to announce that fact.  There is no real over-arching set of criteria; it's up to each district to determine and exercise on their own.

The thing is, COVID proved that not being able to hold class in an actual classroom isn't the hurdle it used to be when I was a student.  There are numerous ways to attend school remotely now, so as long as you have Internet access.  And in my mind, that means that the iconic snow day now only exists when the weather is bad enough that the Internet isn't available, which usually means there are other things to be concerned about instead.

So, I ask you: assuming everyone has reliable Internet access at home, are snow days still a thing?