By Frances Shefter, Esq.
When severe weather is predicted, families start preparing long before the first snowflake falls. Parents check forecasts, review work calendars, and try to anticipate what the next day might bring. The problem is that, in many cases, school systems wait until the last possible moment to make a decision.
For working parents—especially those raising neurodivergent children—that delay creates a kind of planning paralysis. Parents are left unsure whether they should reschedule meetings, take the day off, request remote work, or attempt to line up care. Without a clear answer from the school system, every option feels risky.
Planning Without Information Isn’t Planning
As both a working parent of two neurodivergent children and a special education attorney, I see this play out repeatedly. Families are asked to plan for every contingency while having none of the information they need to plan at all.
Often, the decision finally comes late at night or early in the morning. By then, it is too late to make many arrangements. Childcare options that might have been possible with advance notice are no longer available. Employers may not be able to accommodate sudden changes. Community programs are either full or not open on such short notice. Parents are forced to scramble, often at the expense of sleep, work, or both.
The Cost of Guessing Wrong
Other times, families make the opposite choice. Anticipating a closure, parents cancel meetings, take leave, or arrange coverage—only to wake up and learn that schools are open after all. That decision may mean lost income, missed professional obligations, or wasted leave time, all for a day that ultimately could have been managed differently with timely communication.
For families of neurodivergent students, these disruptions carry additional weight. School is not just a place for supervision. It is where children receive specialized instruction, related services, and the structure that supports learning and regulation. When closures are announced with little notice—or decisions swing at the last minute—families lose access to those supports without any realistic opportunity to replace them.
The common refrain that “school is not daycare” misses the point. Parents are not asking schools to remain open at all costs. They are asking for predictability. Earlier decision-making when bad weather is reasonably anticipated allows families to make informed, responsible choices. Delayed decisions shift the entire burden onto parents, many of whom are balancing work obligations with the complex needs of their children.
School is not daycare. But for neurodivergent students, school is essential infrastructure. When weather-related closures are unavoidable, timely decisions and clear communication make the difference between a manageable disruption and an impossible one.
Using Unexpected Time at Home Productively
If you find yourself unexpectedly home with your child during a weather-related closure, it can also be an opportunity—even if an imperfect one—to better understand how your child is functioning outside of the school environment.
Spending time working informally on IEP goals may give you insight into whether what you are seeing at home aligns with what the school is reporting. You may notice areas of progress, areas of struggle, or differences in how much support your child needs to access the same skills.
This kind of observation can be valuable. Taking notes, saving work samples, or jotting down how much prompting or support was required can help you collect your own data on progress toward IEP goals. Over time, this information can support more informed conversations with your child’s IEP team about what is working, what is not, and whether adjustments may be needed.
While weather-related closures are frustrating and disruptive, they can sometimes provide parents with a clearer picture of their child’s learning—and a stronger voice in future IEP discussions.
When What You See Doesn’t Match What the School Reports
If what you are observing at home does not align with what the school has been reporting, you are not alone—and you do not have to sort through that disconnect by yourself. Differences between school data and parent observations can raise important questions about implementation, progress monitoring, and whether an IEP is truly meeting a child’s needs.
At Shefter Law, we help families think through their options and next steps when concerns arise. If you are noticing gaps between what you see at home and what the school is reporting, you can contact our office to request a **Free Case Analysis** to discuss your concerns and determine whether a Strategy Session or additional advocacy support may be appropriate.
