Schools should utilize FID days more often

Tanner LaMark, Reporter • February 5, 2026 • 91 Views

Snow day. The Altoona Area School District will be operating on a 2-hour delay schedule from Jan. 28 – Jan. 30.

With temperatures dropping and snow being extremely prominent at this time of year, students are always wondering what days will be flexible instruction days.

As of the writing of this article, there have been two hour delays on Dec. 1 2025, Dec. 14 2025, Jan. 20, 22, 28, 29 and 30, two Flexible Instruction Days on Jan. 26 and 27 and one asynchronous day on Dec. 23 2025. These delays and cancellations happened because of either heavy snow or extremely cold temperatures. Temperatures below 0°F are considered too cold for students. Low temperatures usually aren’t much of a problem for students who either have a ride to school or take the bus, but for the students who have to walk to school or students who have their bus arrive later than usual, it can be a much bigger issue.

Even in temperatures above 0°F, wind chill can cause it to feel like it is below zero. When some students have to walk long distances to get to school, this can be very unfair to them and presents a risk of hypothermia and frostbite, and that’s not even considering the icy conditions that can cause falls and other accidents.

What does the school lose from having FID days? They are still counted as full days of school and don’t take away any days that students would have off during break. There’s also a limit of five flexible instruction days that the school can get per year. However, if it ever does reach that point, the school is allowed to ask for more flexible instruction days. Even if there are no more FID days, the school can still have asynchronous learning days. However, the school would have to make those days up by taking away days from things like spring and summer break.

Even if it gets to a point where days would have to be made up, it would still be worth the loss. The health and safety of students is more important than one day of learning. It’s better for students to have to make up a couple days rather than risking any injuries from falls or frostbite.

About the Contributors

Tanner LaMark, Reporter

My name is Tanner LaMark, and I am a junior. It’s my first year on the Mountain Echo staff, and I’m hoping to make it a great one. I enjoy music, video games, going for walks and hanging out with my friends. I also play the bass in the orchestra. After high school, I plan on going to college to become a vet.

Madison Aboud, Editor – in – Chief

My name is Madison Aboud, and this is my fourth year on the Mountain Echo staff. I am honored to serve as Editor in Chief for the 2025 – 2026 school year. In 2023, I did an Editorial Leadership training through CSPA (Columbia Scholastic Press Association). In July 2024, I served as a National Youth Correspondent for the Washington Journalism and Media Conference (WJMC) at George Mason University. When I’m not focused on the Mountain Echo, you can find me reading, spending time with friends and family or hanging out with my dogs. After I graduate, I plan to major in English and minor in Communications. My goal this year is to represent our student body accurately and fairly.