Update: School will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 24 and Friday, Feb. 25. There are no more built-in school days left for the remainder of the 2021-2022 academic calendar.

A sudden winter storm allowed the WSD to close its doors once again due to inclement weather. All schools in the district will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 24. 

A winter storm warning went into effect on Tuesday night for our area. KSDK reported that a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain would be hitting St. Louis, beginning Wednesday afternoon and continuing until Thursday evening.

Our local area is predicted to experience sleet and snow accumulating from 1 inch to 3 inches. Minor road impacts were predicted for Wednesday, while Thursday’s weather is predicted to bring major roadway impacts. 

This closure follows an unusual six day weekend in the district. The week prior featured an inclement weather day on Thursday, Feb. 17 and a Mental Health Day on Friday, Feb. 18. Monday, Feb. 21 was President’s Day, while Tuesday, Feb. 22 was a PD Day. Students finally returned to school on Wednesday, Feb. 23, just to be surprised with more inclement weather the next day. 

This marks the fifth snow day out of the allotted six days that are not required to make up at the end of the year; meaning that the district only has one more snow day that won’t extend the WSD calendar. It’s important to note that the added Mental Health Day on Friday, Feb. 18 did not count as a snow day.

However, the WSD revealed that if the number of snow days exceeds six, students will not be making up for lost time with AMI (Alternative Methods of Instruction) days like everyone originally believed. Instead, students will now make up the missed days with regular in-person learning. The last day for seniors may also be adjusted after the total number of snow days is known. 

It goes without saying that students and staff alike will enjoy the snow day, knowing they won’t have to make it up at the end of the year. While the inclement weather days have been appreciated, let’s hope that the district won’t exceed six snow days!