Due to early morning snowfall and poor road conditions, many Central New York public and private schools chose to cancel classes Thursday or move to remote learning for the day. Le Moyne College held classes as normal.

Syracuse has experienced a harsh winter up to this point. January was the snowiest single month in Syracuse this decade, and Central New York has seen 7.3 inches of snowfall to begin February.

Despite the heavy snowfall Syracuse has been hit with this winter, Le Moyne has not cancelled classes once this school year due to the weather conditions. Some students may be wondering what factors would lead the college to determine a snow day would be necessary to ensure the safety of the students and faculty.

Joseph Della Posta, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Le Moyne College provides some clarity:

“The decision on whether the College is delayed or closed due to inclement weather is made by the provost and vice president for academic affairs, in consultation with campus safety a security and facilities management at Le Moyne,” Della Posta said. “A number of factors go into the decision, including how well the campus parking lots and roadways are cleared, as well as traffic and conditions around the area and region and the weather forecast.

Due to a lack of available snow days, a number of grade schools in Syracuse opted to take a remote learning day. This allowed the schools to continue classes virtually, and had a minimal impact on their school calendars.

With a large portion of Le Moyne’s student body consisting of students who commute to campus, the option of implementing remote learning on days with harsh weather conditions has been considered. “A few years ago the Faculty Senate considered the option of moving to remote instruction rather than cancel classes due to inclement weather and voted against that proposal,” Della Posta stated.

Although the school does not have current plans to implement virtual learning days, Della Posta says the possibility is always there. “Such policies are reviewed periodically to ensure that the College is taking the best approach to these kinds of situations.”