A proposal to scrap snow days in exchange for flexible instructional days (FIDs) that allow students to work from home is gaining support from educators and students, although local parents have mixed feelings.

Modern technology makes it possible for students not to miss out on their education when snow prevents them from traveling to school and, at the same time, prevents their spring breaks and summer vacations from being shortened by makeup days.

We sympathize with parents’ concerns — for example, conundrums for families in which both parents work and the possibility of the home environment providing distractions for students — but FIDs are an option that has been gaining traction in recent years for good reason.

There are a number of benefits to FIDs.

Educators argue that snow days are a disruption to a student’s learning, whereas FIDs — during which students would complete coursework and communicate with teachers through electronic devices — would prevent the stop-and-start nature of learning during weeks in the winter when school is called off for snow days.

Also, while students might enjoy a day off from school when it snows, they’d more likely prefer to not have their spring break taken away from them or have the school year extended well into June.

The pilot program for Seneca Valley School District’s FID program will expire at the end of the school year. If it is not renewed, Seneca Valley and 11 other districts would go back to traditional snow makeup days.

State Sen. Ryan Aument, who is chairman of the education committee, said that legislation to approve FIDs as an option to meet the mandatory 180 school days in a year is currently being drafted.

Parents interviewed by the Butler Eagle made some good points on the benefits of FIDs (allowing families more flexible time for summer vacations that would be limited by snow makeup days) as well as the negatives (most parents noted that trying to fill in as their child’s teacher with certain subjects can be challenging).

Two parents — Rachel Homick, who has children in first and fourth grades and kindergarten, and Amy Grala, who has children in fifth and third grades and morning kindergarten — hit the nail on the head on how legislators and educators should move forward with the proposal to extend the FID program.

Homick said that the concept should be “tweaked” to address the concerns of parents, while Grala suggested that school districts seek parents’ opinions on the matter and hold meetings to discuss changes that could make the program more agreeable for all involved. We agree with them both.