FARMINGTON — Superintendent Christian Elkington reaffirmed his commitment to traditional snow days during the Dec. 10 Regional School Unit 9 board of directors meeting, emphasizing the challenges of online learning and the importance of maintaining equity for students and families in rural communities.

“I don’t believe in online learning for a snow day,” Elkington said. “I don’t think it equalized to every student or family in the district. We have lots of issues in rural communities. Not every family can be linked in. Not every family has the same supports and services.”

RSU 9 addresses snow days by extending the school year by a few days. “If there’s a snow day, you add a day,” Elkington explained. “It has meant we have to have our year go a little longer, but it isn’t weeks, maybe four days a year.”

Elkington also highlighted the importance of addressing inequities, particularly around school nutrition. “A big concern of mine is around school nutrition. Not all 2,300 students get the same opportunities for breakfast and lunch,” he said, noting that remote learning can exacerbate these disparities.

While some districts in Maine have adopted online learning for snow days, Elkington stands firm in his opposition. “I am in the minority of my brethren around the state, 140 of us,” he said. “Some districts do online learning in place of a snow day; we have not done that since I’ve been here.”

Elkington emphasized the benefits of snow days for mental health and morale. “I think it is good to have a day off every once in a while and let people go out and be and staff [have] a day to relax,” he said. “They work very hard; it is a gift sometimes to have a day off.”

He thanked board member Richard Ruhlin for raising questions about the district’s practices. “I had linked to an article about how school districts are doing more online learning because of weather. So they are scheduling fewer days,” Elkington said, but reaffirmed that RSU 9 will stick with traditional snow days.

Board members expressed their agreement with Elkington’s approach, acknowledging that snow days remain a valuable experience for students.