According to the announcement of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, up to 20 cm of snow may fall in south-eastern Poland on Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, locally the temperature at night may drop to as much as -20 degrees C. Mainly in the foothill regions of the Sudetes.
In such conditions school and kindergarten principals have the option of temporarily suspending classes due to low temperatures. These rules are regulated by the regulation of the Minister of Education on safety and hygiene in public and private schools and institutions.
School principals may suspend classes due to low temperatures
According to the regulation, the temperature in the rooms where classes are held should be at least 18 degrees Celsius. If it is not possible to ensure such a temperature, the director suspends classes for a specified period of time and notifies the managing authority.
The director may also, with the consent of the managing body, suspend classes for a specified period of time if the outside temperature measured at 9 p.m. on two consecutive days preceding the suspension of classes is -15 degrees Celsius or lower. It may also suspend classes if there are events in a given area that may threaten the health of students.
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The teaching authority or the director is to notify the body exercising pedagogical supervision about the suspension of classes.
— If such suspension of classes lasts longer than two days, the principal is obliged to organize learning using distance learning methods and techniques. Remote classes must start no later than the third day after suspension and may be held both via the system provided by the Minister of Education and other electronic communication tools to ensure students' continuation of learning, Ewelina Gorczyca, spokeswoman for the Ministry of National Education, told PAP.
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Snow paralyzes schools in the Nidzica district
Due to unfavorable weather conditions and possible difficulties in commuting, Wednesday was designated as a day off from classes for four schools run by the Nidzica district (Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship), where up to 70-80 cm of snow has fallen in recent days.
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The staroste of Nidzica, Paweł Przybyłek, said in an interview with PAP that the carrier responsible for transporting students to schools is to verify whether all routes are now passable. This determines whether normal lessons in district schools will return from Thursday or whether classes will be held remotely.
