Spring has sprung as March and April showers are supposed to bring May flowers. However, cold, harsh weather mixes with these showers and creates snow. Road conditions are bitter and severe as cars struggle to stay on the road. Schools send out cancellation notices and students stay warm at home for the day. However, some of those students at home are given an assignment from each class they have to complete. This is counted as a full school day, but what is this and how is it possible?

This year, Seneca Valley School District introduced a FID, which stands for “Flexible Instruction Day.” Every third day—and if the school decides to close a fourth or fifth day—, the district closes due to poor weather conditions, and that day automatically becomes a FID. Students are then required to work on assignments given to them by their teachers through the Seneca Valley Portal.

Each of the students are given a maximum of 10 days to complete and turn in their given assignments. The 10 days gives the students who are unable to access the internet an extended period of time to hopefully complete their work. Those students who cannot access a computer can also receive a copy of the FID assignment from their teacher. If the student fails to complete their FID assignments, a zero will be put in for the assignment and the student will also be marked absent for that class.

On the FID, the teacher is also working from home, as they have to email the principal what work they completed during the work day. The teacher also has to email the FID assignment and the lesson plan to the principal to reflect on how everything went.

Since Seneca Valley School District’s first day of school was on Sep. 5, 2017, because of construction, the district needed to find a backup plan to make up school days in case of cancellation. The benefit of having a FID is that the district will not have to require make up days or extend the school year. A FID is counted as a normal school day under Article 15 of the Public School Code and also Chapter 11 of the state Board of Education regulations.

For Seneca Valley School District to be allowed to have a FID, the idea had to be approved by the state. To test a FID out, the school district had a practice FID last February.

The idea of a FID has been adapted by many schools not wanting to make up cancellations due to grim weather conditions.

A FID can also be known in some districts as a VID, which stands for a “Virtual Instruction Day.”

As schools are now learning about this new form of instructional hours, the idea has not been adopted yet by Freedom.

Allyson Charlovich, a freshman, when asked if Freedom should introduce a VID or a FID, agrees that Freedom should look into it.

“Yes, I think it would be smart for Freedom to have it because we would not miss so many days and then have longer breaks,” Charlovich said.

Freshman Sydney Palakovich also agrees that Freedom should look into introducing the idea.

“I feel Freedom would benefit from FID days because then we would not have to make up school. Some school days that we miss are not planned anyway so that means this does not allow you to plan or make plans in advance. Usually people don’t do productive things [in school] anyways, and just sit there all day. Students can choose whether or not they want to do [the FID assignments], but [if they do not complete the assignments] it will hurt them in the end,” Palakovich said.

Whether or not Freedom decides to look into a FID or a VID, more and more schools are adapting this efficient concept to further make better use of poor weather conditions. A FID or a VID would be a good alternative to making up school cancellations. On March 21, 2018, FHS students would not have had to miss school if we were to of incorporated the use of a FID or a VID day.