Snow days may become school days under new Pennsylvania law

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will allow school districts to turn school cancellations into school days by delivering lesson plans to students at home.

The bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Tom Wolf writes a three-year pilot program into law to let all school districts participate in the flexible instruction day program.

Under the law, students do not physically attend school. Rather, they must get and complete lessons at home so that a flexible instruction day counts toward the 180 days of instruction currently required annually.

The law caps a school's flexible instructional days at five a year.

A district that wants to participate must show the state Department of Education how it will record attendance, institute the program and accommodate students who lack the right technology at home, such as internet access.