EDITORS NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated that all snow days in 2022-23 will be virtual days. However, the policy is that the use of virtual days in place of traditional snow days is one option, but traditional snow days may also be used, depending on the situation. 

The first snowy days of winter made their way to Tyrone this week, and for November there was a decent amount of snow in and around Tyrone. Not enough to cancel school, but enough for TASD to begin to prepare for when that might be necessary.

In preparation for winter, the Tyrone Area School District administration announced that some snow/inclement weather/COVID days during the 2022-23 school year may be treated as virtual learning days for students again this year.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has approved the use of Flexible Instruction Days (FID) as an alternative form of instruction in place of a day that may otherwise be canceled due to inclement weather or emergency.

The District may replace an inclement weather day with an FID day without having to alter the school calendar to make up the day.  Tyrone Area School District was approved to use FID days (up to 5 days per school year) for the 2020-21; 2021-22; and 2022-23 school years.

To count as a full day of instruction, students must complete class work assigned by their teachers on the day of the FID, and student attendance will also be counted for that day.  Although there is currently no live instruction scheduled on these days, teachers are available during specific times to provide assistance and answer questions.

The possibility of a traditional “snow day” and rescheduling the day on a designated snow make-up day on the school calendar also exists.  TASD will also continue to use school delays or early dismissals, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of face-to-face instruction.

Regardless of the decision, parents and students will continue to receive weather notifications via the Blackboard messaging system in the form of a phone call, email, and the parent app.  In addition, the district will continue to utilize media outlets and its website and social media platforms for these notifications.

On FID days, teachers in the high school are expected to prepare asynchronous lessons for their students on days that school is canceled, and students will be expected to log in for attendance between 6 am and 10 am (6 am to 11:15 am for GACTC students) and complete the assignments given to them online.

The following instructions for what high school students should do on virtual days were recently shared with students and teachers by the TASD administration.

Also, click on the attached photo to see the 2022-2023 TAHS 2-Hour Delay Schedule.

WHAT TO DO ON A VIRTUAL LEARNING DAY

• High school students should check in for attendance using this Google Form between 6 am -10 am. This will mark you as attending for the school day.
• All work is ASYNCHRONOUS, which means you will work on the assignments at your own pace. Live Zoom sessions will not take place.
• Each class should have a Canvas page. For each of your classes, check the Canvas page. There will be an assignment for you to complete for each class for the day.
• Make sure you know the due date. For most assignments, the due date will be midnight of the date of the closure. However, larger assignments may have a longer deadline. All assignments are due by the stated deadline.
• If you have any questions regarding an assignment, teachers are available through email between 9:30-11 am and 12-3 pm.
• If you are unable to complete an assignment for any reason that is beyond your control (loss of power, no internet), email your teacher during the date of the school closure with an explanation. You will need to be specific with your explanation and will need to eventually make up the assignment.
• If you are having technical difficulties with your Chromebook or Canvas, you can email [email protected].