In anticipation of a significant snowstorm, New York City public schools will shut their doors on Monday and transition to remote learning, city officials confirmed on Sunday morning. The decision comes as part of a broader strategy to ensure safety during what is expected to be several hours of intense snowfall.
Mayor Mamdani emphasized the importance of this precautionary measure, stating, “With snow beginning to pile up and conditions turning perilous, closing school buildings is crucial for the safety of New Yorkers.”
The announcement was made just before 9 a.m., allowing parents ample time to organize childcare and giving educators the opportunity to adapt their lesson plans for virtual instruction. However, unlike the traditional snow days that offered children a chance to enjoy the winter weather, students will still be expected to attend classes online—an adaptation of the remote learning practices established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This shift to online classes affects approximately 500,000 students across over 1,100 schools. Notably, high school students and certain middle schoolers, who were already scheduled for a professional development day, will not see disruptions to their planned day off.
In a response to the cold weather, city officials have designated two high schools in each borough as warming centers, set to remain operational at least through Monday.
For those students engaged in remote learning, Mayor Mamdani assured a seamless transition to online education, ensuring that both students and teachers are well-prepared for the abrupt change.
“Over the past week, my administration has prepared for this moment — ensuring devices are in hand, families are informed and educators are ready to welcome students online,” Mamdani said. “Our school system, and our city, is prepared to weather this storm together.”
Monday’s remote day will be an early major operational test for Mamdani’s new schools chancellor, Kamar Samuels. During a 2024 snowstorm, the schools’ online systems buckled under the stress of hundreds of thousands of students attempting to log online at the same time, as then-Chancellor David Banks blasted the vendor as “not ready for prime time.”
Officials said schools have confirmed that students have the necessary technology to move to remote learning Monday, and the city has worked with vendors to “stress-test” log-in systems and is ready to address technology issues if they arise.
“Preparation matters, especially in moments like this,” Samuels said in a statement. “I am grateful to our school communities for the work they’ve done over the last several days — from stress-testing technology to securing buildings and getting virtual classrooms ready.”
Much to the disappointment of thousands of children, Mamdani and Samuels confirmed last week that Monday would not be a traditional snow day due to constraints on the school calendar.
New York requires that schools offer 180 instructional days. With the addition of new school holidays in recent years, the city has lost flexibility in the calendar to fully close schools due to inclement weather. Already this year, officials are using teacher professional development days to count toward the legally required total, meaning kids are missing out on key instructional time.
But Samuels seemed optimistic kids can still have some fun on Monday, as schools experiment with a combination of live teaching and class assignments that may be completed on students’ own time throughout the day.
“No one is asking kids to be on a device for six hours and 20 minutes,” the chancellor said during a Friday snowstorm briefing in Downtown Brooklyn. “You can still have your hot chocolate. You can still go out and enjoy the snow.”
