The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) has announced they are piloting two home-based learning days during the 2025-2026 school year. New legislation signed into Iowa Law during the pandemic in 2021 allowed school districts up to five home-based learning days between the dates Jan. 20 to Apr. 16.
The goal of this legislation was for severe weather days predicted by 12p.m. the day prior. Students can stay home while teachers give assignments for their designated classes. Students are then responsible for completing the material by the time they return to school. As a result of this, schools won’t have to make up those days at the end of the school year.
“I think they are a logical extension of students having district issued devices,” Japanese teacher Daniel Carolin said. “The elimination of weather related make-up days will likely make everyone happy.”
These adapted learning days will aid in keeping the school year on schedule and preventing faculty from having to fix their lesson plans last-minute. However, some students would rather keep the days off and give up a couple days in the summer.
“Every year we’ve had to go at least a couple days past the designated end of the school year because of snow,” senior Kiri Platt said. “As a senior, we don’t have to make up the days at the end of the year anyways, so of course I’d want to keep things the way they are.”
On the other hand, underclassmen are all for home-based learning days. This change would benefit them as they’re the students having to delay the start of summer vacation.
“It would be really nice to not have to make-up snow days at the end of the year,” sophomore Gatsby Gloede said. “Last year, we were in school like six days past when we were supposed to get out.”
Home-based learning days may present a challenge for teachers. Teachers must figure out how to enforce completion of assignments and ensure students stay engaged in their work. It will require teachers to monitor participation and hold students accountable. Students will also be responsible for holding themselves accountable.
“I wonder how much learning will actually take place on those days. As we learned during the pandemic, online learning is a poor substitute for face to face classes,” Carolin said. “For teachers with a high prep load or for those that require more interaction or hands-on instruction, this will be especially challenging… I think, however, once students and teachers get accustomed to this model there will be less resistance from the students.”
