Wake schools preparing for 3 days of remote learning due to bad weather threat
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- Wake instructs teachers to prepare three days of remote lessons by Thursday.
- District will notify staff and families by Sunday evening about schedule changes.
- Pre-K–2 receive printed packets; grades 3–12 get hard copies for limited-access students.
Wake County is switching to remote learning for the schools that are in session Monday. Read here for more updates on school plans.
Wake County teachers are being asked to prepare lessons for up to three days of remote learning next week if schools are closed due to expected wintry weather.
The Wake County school system told teachers on Wednesday that they need to have the three days of lessons done by the end of Thursday. This comes ahead of a storm that’s expected to bring snow and ice over the weekend.
“We are taking these steps as a precautionary measure in the event that we have remote learning days next week,” the district said in the message to teachers. “The district will communicate any changes to school schedules to staff and families by Sunday evening.”
Wake is also warning families that remote learning is a possibility. Wake said it would try to make a decision the night before to give families time to prepare.
“This year, the district can call a remote instruction day during emergencies instead of using a banked day or make-up day,” the district said in a message sent to families on Wednesday. “We recognize that remote instruction is something we have used infrequently since the pandemic, and we welcome your feedback as we work together to support instruction during unexpected closures.”
Under state law, schools are allowed to have up to five remote learning days each school year due to emergencies such as inclement weather. Wake had shied away from that route until recently.
Pandemic remote learning
The bad experiences many families had with remote learning during the pandemic had caused Wake to say that remote learning would only be used as a last resort.
That approach drew complaints from some Wake families last school year when students had makeup days while peers in neighboring districts used remote learning instead during bad weather. Remote learning days do not have to be made up to meet state requirements of at least 1,025 hours of instruction each school year.
In response, the Wake school board agreed last spring to the request from administrators to make remote learning an option if schools have enough advance warning to prepare.
Making accommodations for some students
Wake’s memo to teachers gave different requirements based on grade level.
Middle school and high school teachers were told to prepare three days of asynchronous, high quality assignments on Canvas focusing on review, reinforcement or application of taught concepts. Asynchronous learning is instruction that students can do on their own time.
Next week is the start of a new semester, so Wake said some of this work may focus on reviewing the syllabus, getting to know the structure of each course, and setting expectations.
The guidance given to teachers addresses some of the concerns parents raised about remote learning for groups such as young children, special-education students and families with limited home Internet access.
Middle school and high school teachers are supposed to make sure that special education assignments reflect student Individualized Education Programs. The IEPs list the accommodations that schools are supposed to make to help special education students learn.
Teachers in pre-kindergarten to second grade are supposed to prepare three days of hard-copy alternatives — such as printable packets — and distribute these to students. Students will get the materials on Thursday.
Teachers in grades three through 12 are supposed to Identify students with limited internet/device access. Teachers are to prepare and distribute three days of hard-copy alternatives to those students on Thursday.
“Students will have five days after returning to school to complete assignments,” Wake told families. “Teachers will be available by email and/or Canvas to answer questions and provide support.”
“Please note that this information is being shared with you to keep you informed of our processes, and that the district has not made an adjustment to next week’s schedule at this time.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 7:02 PM.
