The rise of the Internet has led to the decline of lots of things: Handwritten letters, traditional newspapers and big, bulky sets of encyclopedias all have suffered. Now we hear of another potential casualty: snow days. For decades, schools in cold-weather climes were forced to close if the snow got too deep or the air got too cold. If the winter was particularly hard, districts might need to extend school into summer vacation to make up the time. Now, with so many households having high-speed Internet access, many schools may be asking students to send their brains to school on snow days this coming winter—even if their bodies are stuck at home. Not everyone is thrilled. Lots of kids, and even many parents, think of snow days as a well-deserved respite during the drudgery of winter. “When deep snow falls, the world becomes quiet and still,” wrote parent David Santner, whose son goes to Poughkeepsie Day School in New York—one of many schools that’ll be in session during snow days this coming school year. “If we listen to our instincts, we settle in and enjoy the pure joy of not doing.” School officials say there’s no reason a few flakes should stop education. “We have to recognize as teachers, educators, all of us, that we are in a completely different landscape, that learning really isn’t confined to a textbook or a teacher anymore,” said Josie Holford, head of the Poughkeepsie school. “We all have to be learning all the time. Why should a snow day stop the progress of learning?” (Time)