An early, snowy, and cold winter has prompted the Fayetteville-Manlius School District to begin preparing for the possibility of remote instruction days if the district must use more emergency closure days than were built into the school calendar. 

“We all know that winter in the Syracuse area can be long and challenging to predict because of lake effect snow,” Superintendent Craig. J. Tice said. “Given that, and the fact that we may have to close a school for an event other than weather, like we did at Wellwood when the power was out, we need to be proactive in making sure we have an instructional plan if we exceed our allotted emergency closure days.”

The district built four emergency closure days into the 2025-26 school calendar, which is in line with past years and allowed for the 180-day state-required school schedule. As of Jan. 16, 2026, the district has used three emergency closure days districtwide due to weather; however, all four emergency closure days have been used for Wellwood Middle School because of a power outage that closed that school on Dec. 19. 

If the district uses one more emergency closure day this school year, it will be a remote instruction day for Wellwood students while all other buildings will not have instruction. However, if the district uses two or more emergency closure days, all buildings will pivot to remote instruction. 

How will families and students know a remote instruction day is taking place?

If a school, or the district, pivots to remote instruction, that information would be shared via ParentSquare, local media and posted on the district website.

What would remote instruction look like?

UPK-Grade 6

Instruction would be asynchronous, meaning students would complete assigned work on their own time. Once all emergency closure days have been used, teachers would send home remote learning packets so students have them in the event of a remote instruction day. The packets would also be available through Schoology. 

For students in grades K-6, teachers would be available to meet with and support students during two 30-minute online office hours—one in the morning and one in the afternoon, as they did on Wednesdays during the Covid-19 hybrid instructional model. 

Students’ parents and guardians would receive communication asking if they would like their students to bring home their school-issued device or if their student would have access to a device at home. The district would turn on Google Meet for students on those days.

Grades 7-12

Instruction at this level would also be asynchronous with teachers posting lessons using Schoology. The day would operate on a two-hour delay schedule, similar to Wednesdays during the Covid-19 hybrid instructional model. Teachers would conduct office hours by being available via Google Meet to meet with each class for 15 minutes and a schedule would be provided to each student.

At all levels, student attendance would be taken by submission of the completed work either by the end of the school day and/or by the next in-session school day. The expectation is that each lesson/assignment should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

Will other staff members be available on a remote instruction day?

• School nurses and counselors, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, family school liaisons, and special area/AIS/enrichment teachers would be available for designated office hours to answer parent/guardian questions or to meet individually with students online as needed. Hours would be posted on the district website and would follow their grade level schedule as noted above. Special area/AIS/enrichment teachers would also post asynchronous lessons via Schoology.
• Related services/Special education teachers: (c.g., VIS and Speech) Providers would develop activities for students to participate in while school is in remote instruction. These activities would be designed with the students’ IEP in mind and individualized to address specific skills. Special education/Resource teachers would provide materials, lessons and activities or will use content area assignments to support the students’ educational needs and IEP goals. 
• BOCES Special Education Programs: Students in OCM BOCES programs would follow the process that OCM BOCES establishes. The BOCES administration and staff would communicate information as needed.

Be informed

It is important that the district has current contact information for parents and guardians so they are receiving emergency closure and other urgent notifications. Contact information for the parents and guardians of elementary and middle school students may be updated by calling their student’s school’s main office. Contact information at the high school level should be updated with the Student Services Office.

• F-M High School Student Services Office: 315-692-1912
• Eagle Hill Middle School: 315-692-1400
• Wellwood Middle School: 315-692-1300
• Enders Road Elementary School: 315-692-1500
• Fayetteville Elementary School: 315-692-1600
• Mott Road Elementary School: 315-692-1700