Wake schools get ready for more remote learning ahead of new snowstorm
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wake County told teachers to prepare two to three days of remote assignments.
- Remote instruction uses asynchronous work for grades 3–12 and printed packets for preK-2.
- After five remote-learning days, district can use banked days before makeup days.
Wake County teachers are preparing more remote lessons in case schools are closed after this weekend’s snowstorm.
The Wake County school system told teachers to have two to three days of assignments prepared for students by the end of Friday. Teachers had also prepared lessons that were used during remote instruction this week after the last winter storm.
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 could exhaust those five days next week.
Before the last storm, teachers were asked to prepare up to three days of assignments. Schools were in remote learning this week until Thursday.
Traditional-calendar schools wound up only using two days of remote learning this week because Monday was a teacher workday. Those teachers have been asked to prepare three days of assignments for next week.
Wake’s other schools used three days of remote instruction this week. Teachers at those other schools have been asked to prepare two days of assignments for next week.
The teachers are working on their remote lessons ahead of a new storm could bring six to eight inches of snow to the Triangle this weekend, The News & Observer reported.
Remote instruction days
Remote instruction days are different from in-person learning. Wake uses “asynchronous” learning, meaning the classes aren’t taught live. Instead, teachers assign work that students do on their own time.
Wake had resisted using remote learning again after the bad experiences many families had with it during the pandemic. Wake began using remote instruction days again because they don’t require makeup days.
- Students in grades 3-12 will log in to Canvas to complete assignments from their teachers. Assignments will focus on the review, reinforcement, or application of taught concepts.
- Students in PreK-2 will receive a hard copy of assignments from their teachers.
- Teachers will work to ensure special education assignments reflect Individualized Education Programs, (IEPs), including accommodations/modification.
- Students in grades 3-12 with limited internet/device access will receive alternative assignments with non-digital materials (e.g., printed packets).
- The spring semester started this week for many schools, so Wake told teachers to focus on reviewing concepts as opposed to teaching new material.
When remote days are used up
Once all five remote days are used, Wake can switch to “banked days.” Those are the extra hours built into the schedule to stay above the state’s requirement of 1,025 hours of instruction each school year.
Like remote days, banked days don’t have to be made up. But schools only have a handful of them. The number of banked hours varies by grade level. Elementary and middle schools tend to have more hours per school year than high schools because younger students spend less time in class changes.
Once remote learning and banked days are gone, schools need to schedule makeup days. This can include holding schools on teacher workdays, Saturdays and during spring break.
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
