Polar Vortex. Snowpocalypse. Biggest winter storm since the Blizzard of ‘78. 13 snow days. Overall, it’s no stretch to say that this winter has been a complete and total mess. And the mess doesn’t just affect roads, snowplows, power, and driving. It also majorly affected our school days.

The student body is aware that there are only nine total state-issued snow days, but we’re begging you. It’s not our fault that we’ve had so much snow, ice, and other wintery mixes of precipitation. It’s not your fault either. So, it may be reasonable to say that no one should be punished for this.

That’s what adding on a week of school in June would feel like. Punishment. Many students and their families already have pre-planned vacations. Not last minute vacations, not spontaneous road trips, but thoughtfully planned out vacations complete with months of built up anticipation regarding them. Yes, it is true that these students could take their exams early and be on their way. But, if they make up the majority of students and faculty, then what’s the point?

These extra days of school are sure to add mountains of stress upon already maxed-out students. This doesn’t even take into account the teachers who also have vacations planned. The final, frantic days of school are usually spent cramming last minute information into students’ brains. Can an unfamiliar substitute really be effective in this frenzy? The answer, most likely, is no.

There are much fairer and effective solutions out there. Simply adding five minutes to the end of the school day would be quick, painless, and get the job done. The minutes add up fast, and before we know it, we’ll be done with school in early June just as everyone had originally planned.

The immense number of snow days have already tampered with our overly busy schedules enough. Everyone was affected. Adding on extra days ultimately does more harm than good and only continues to change the school year even more. I’m aware that the motivation for extra days comes from an effort to make up for lost learning time, but those last few days of school will not serve to be helpful at all. Learning will be the last things on students’ minds as summer temperatures and sunny skies are the only views outside classroom windows.

Our brains leave school even before June, and stretching school so much further into the warm summer months only elevates a feeling of disconnect and disparity. As a student body, this is our plea. Adding school days in June is not the solution, and we beg you to find something else.