This winter in Buncombe County, thousands of students — already behind from extended Helene-related school closures — have lost vital instructional time. Not because of illness, but because of Buncombe County Schools’ long-standing practice of shutting down schools when icy or snowy conditions occur anywhere in the county, no matter how remote.
While safety is paramount, the current system of blanket school closures is failing our kids and families. And it has a disproportionate impact on working families, many of whom are forced to choose between earning a paycheck and staying home to supervise their children’s remote learning.
What happens when families get the dreaded last-minute notice that school is going remote? Many scramble to find child care, only to face another challenge: transporting their kids to a caregiver on the same supposedly unsafe roads. Families who can’t access child care must choose between missing work, medical appointments or other responsibilities and leaving their kids home without supervision. Is this really a safer choice for our students than keeping school doors open?
As my children would say, “It’s not fair.” Though some will argue that closing schools is fair in that it puts all students at an equal disadvantage (hardly something we should be aspiring to), it actually widens the learning gap. Students from families with a stay-at-home parent or other resources to support supervised learning stay on track, while those without these advantages fall further behind — literally left to their own devices.
The impact goes beyond the 20,000-plus students who attend Buncombe County Schools. My kids go to a public charter school that, like most charters and preschools in the area, follows the lead of Buncombe County when it comes to inclement weather closures — even though they don’t have a fleet of buses. At my kids’ school alone, that’s another 1,200 students needlessly missing out.
The lack of resources and infrastructure for snow preparedness and safety is often cited as a justification for school closures. But many of us have noted that our other local institutions — whether they be libraries, City Hall or YMCAs — don’t close due to snow flurries or icy patches in the surrounding areas, and people who can and need to access them find a way.
The ripple effects of these blanket closures — financial strain, family stress, social isolation and learning loss — are far more hazardous than icy roads. On the heels of Hurricane Helene, our communities simply can’t afford this continued disruption.
One commonsense alternative is to give students who can’t get to school safely the option to take an asynchronous remote learning day. This would keep schools open for those who can safely attend while ensuring others aren’t penalized for weather-related absences.
It’s time for Buncombe County Schools to rethink its outdated approach to inclement weather. With the exception of closures for true snowstorms, keeping schools open — even when buses stay off the roads — will support families, reduce learning loss and demonstrate a real commitment to the education and well-being of all students.
— Talia Kirschner
Swannanoa
