Technology is a marvelous thing. One example, featured in today’s special section on education, is the use of flexible instructional days, or FIDs for short.

FIDs are the modern-day response to snow days — and they’ve been in use in the Seneca Valley School District since the 2014-15 school year.

The FID attempts to justify two opposing realities: first, that Pennsylvania law requires a school year to include 180 days of academic work; and second, some winter storms make travel to and from school hazardous, even life-threatening.

Thanks to technology, on days when the kids can’t get to school to do their studies, the schoolwork can come to the kids at home. FID lessons, prepared ahead of time by local teachers, are delivered by Internet via a secure portal. Pupils work on the assignments at home and have access to their teachers by email and telephone.

Seneca Valley Superintendent Tracy Vitale notes there are difficulties and advantages with FID classes. The most obvious advantage is fewer school days to make up.

The biggest drawback, of course, is that the children are not in school, require supervision at home and are missing out on face-to-face interaction with their instructors and peers.

Even so, let’s remain mindful of the most rudimentary priorities of public education.

The first priority should always be to prepare young people for life and careers in the real world.

The second priority is to pursue this education in a secure environment — providing not only safe schools and teachers, but also safe transportation between school and home.

The third priority is to always consider the education tax dollar as an investment in our community’s future. The concept of flexible instructional days would be impossible to consider without many facets of modern, affordable technology — everything from accurate, pinpoint weather analysis and mobile telephone communication to Internet and other online data capabilities.

The pilot FID program at Seneca Valley is the first of its kind. It won’t be the last. More sophisticated and specific programs seem inevitable. It will take some time and thought, as well as trial and error, before public school instructors teaching by digital broadcast in our homes become ubiquitous. But the day will surely come.

It’s best, as we move resolutely toward that day, that we remain mindful of the priorities of education and adhere to them. It’s easy to let our progress distract us from the destination.