When one thinks about snow days, certain images come to mind: morning phone calls, sleeping late, snowball fights, snowmen, hot cocoa, watching movies by the fireplace.

One might not associate with the time-honored tradition of snow days with homework.

Enter the Blizzard Bag.

The Pembroke School District adopted the idea of Blizzard Bags from the Kearsarge Regional District in 2013. Blizzard Bags have since been a topic of dispute every winter at district schools.

Blizzard bags were created to preserve the length of the school year. Teachers assign work for each class, and students are expected to complete the work at home. If 80 percent of the students in the district—kindergarten through 12th grade—complete the assignments, the state acknowledges the snow day as a complete day of school, preventing the extension of the school year in June.

Blizzard bags were ultimately created to provide 21st Century learning through Google Drive, said director of curriculum Mr. Morris.

Last year, Pembroke Academy reached the state limit of five Blizzard Bags in a school year.

Although the students reached the threshold of 80 percent, this was largely due to the students at the Village and Hill Schools and Three Rivers Middle School. By the next Blizzard Bag, PA administrators would like to see every single school at 80 percent, said headmaster Mr. Famulari.

If Blizzard Bag completion at PA does not increase, there is risk of losing a day of Winter Carnival and/or adding school days in June that could push back graduation.

If at any time this school year Pembroke does not reach the 80 percent threshold, Blizzard Bags will no longer be an option and the school day will still need to be made up in June.

The idea behind Blizzard Bags, however, is also grounded in educational theory.   

“There is an inherent importance in minimizing gaps in instructional time and content,” Mr. Famulari said. “The more teachers can use blizzard bag days to perpetuate curriculum. That was the innovation of blizzard bags.