It’s a frigid Sunday night. Snow and ice swarm the windows of your home. Every step outside feels as if every individual part of your body is freezing one-by-one. Not only is the arctic-like climate on your mind, but you’re also in the toughest stretch of the school year. Although the end of the school year is almost near, the mental and physical fatigue of the school year makes every assignment feel like a never-ending battle. You hope and pray that an email from your principal appears in your inbox saying, “no school tomorrow.” However, it never does. Why? Why can’t students get a break from the stress of school and enjoy the warm comfort of their home while everything freezes outside of it? School boards need to fix the inconsistency of the requirements necessary for a snow/cold day.

In case you didn’t know, the average criteria for a school to shut down due to cold conditions is the wind chill must be negative 30 degrees fahrenheit or colder, or the actual temperature must be negative 15 degrees fahrenheit or colder. In this case, schools will either cancel school as a whole for students and teachers alike or switch to virtual learning for the day. However, at MCHS, the criteria seems to be very inconsistent. It seems that every possible scenario that could result in a snow or cold day doesn’t meet a certain criteria. “It’s not cold enough,” the admin will say, or “there’s not enough snow.” Why is it such an issue to maintain a criteria? Schools across the country, not just in McHenry, need to work on a consistent criteria for days off due to a snowy climate or frigid temperatures.

A reason why students and teachers alike deserve a day off when arctic temperatures roll in is because the post-Christmas break period is one of the hardest periods for students and teachers to focus. From Jan. to Mar., school attendees begin to think about the place they’re going to in the summer or what they’re gonna do with their friends on spring break. Their focus is shifted entirely off of school and what they have in front of them. One day away from school would not only fulfill the desires of those who dread school, but it will also give students and teachers the opportunity to take their minds off of all things school related. As a result, students would be able to come back to school with a fresh mind and the capability to learn at their highest level.

Another reason why snow/cold days are necessary for students and teachers alike is the effect that a frigid climate could have on them. Take students who are forced to walk or ride a bike to school daily for example. With below freezing temperatures and dramatically declining wind chills, students forced to travel outside are likely to face harsh consequences, such as frostbite or sickness. Forcing those students to travel to school under those conditions is simply unfair and wrong. These kinds of students wouldn’t be the only ones facing consequences, however. Students and teachers who drive to school could cause major damage to their vehicles by bringing their vehicles to sit in the parking lot for an entire school day. Highly cold temperatures can cause cars to lose tire pressure, lose battery life and fluids inside the car to freeze. Putting teachers and students through this trouble is unnecessary.

Whenever this topic is brought up within a conversation, there are always people who say that snow days are “annoying,” due to an extra day being added to the end of the year in most school districts globally. Although there is a large portion of people who have discussed this topic that take that stance, this scenario is better than the alternative solution. The majority of students and teachers alike would be happier with coming to school one or two days longer in the start of summer when the sun is shining and they can dress casual than having to come to school in freezing temperatures. There is a higher risk for fatigue and the lack of attention in school when students and teachers are worried about the hardships they may have with getting home after school.

Take that same scenario from the beginning of this article, but instead change the decision made by administration to them deciding to cancel school. Instead of dreading and worrying about going to school the next day, you now have that day to refresh and decompress from the stress that schools apply to its attendees. Now, when you go back to school, you will be able to learn at your best capability and will have a higher chance of success in whatever it is that you may be working on. If you, whoever is reading this article, have agreed with my points so far, then I think it’s time for the school criteria for snow/cold days to change.