With the end of the pandemic came the end to most virtual schooling. But in New York, districts have the option to replace snow days with virtual ones.

"Virtual is a good secondary option. It's not preferable," explained Mark Laurrie, superintendent for Niagara Falls City School District.

When it comes to learning, Laurrie knows face to face is best.

"We're going to do as much in-person learning as we can," he said.

In a state where snow days happen, virtual days are a consideration.

"If we had, God forbid, a string of five or seven really bad blizzard days, and we didn't have enough days built in or leftover, and we didn't have enough give-back days, and we didn't want to add days onto the calendar, if we even could, we would go to that [virtual] option," Laurrie explained.

Schools have to hit 180 educational days to get funding. Many have built in "extras" in case of snow, high winds, broken pipes, or whatever else could go wrong. Switching from an off day to a virtual one is more complicated than a single decision, though.

"It's not as easy as saying, 'OK, we heard about it at 8 at night. Tomorrow's a virtual day,' " said Laurrie. "That sounds good, but in a city like Niagara Falls, where not everyone has a device at home, it won't work."

That's not including login credentials, wires, and everything else you need.

That's why, on Election Day 2022, when many Niagara Falls schools were polling locations and there were separate concerns about school safety, they tested the system successfully. But that was with a few weeks of advance notice.

"Quite frankly, I'd really like to try it on the fly. I really would," said Laurrie. "Because I just think it's another form of readiness and preparedness we need to have in schools."

Laurrie and other nearby superintendents start talking about weather conditions a day in advance of storms. Calling for a day off isn’t a last-minute decision.

"There was a time, at least for myself, that it was 5, 6 in the morning when you'd wake up and find out," Laurrie recalled. "That really isn't the pattern or the way we like to do things, and a lot of it is because of the needs for child care and parents who have to plan."

That's why they’ll keep that in mind going through this winter and future winters.

"Could we do it? Yes," said Laurrie. "Is it the panacea- the be all and end all that people think it could be? Absolutely not."

With any luck, that backup plan will remain just that.

Virtual school does have benefits outside the classroom. Laurrie says with many people using it for work, it’s a valuable skill for kids to have in their back pocket.