NYC public schools have remote classes Monday due to winter storm, Mamdani says
Instead of a snow day, New York City public school students will pivot to remote learning Monday due to the winter storm, the city announced Sunday.
This applies to K-8 students who are scheduled to have school on Monday. High schoolers and some 6-8 grade students are already scheduled to have Monday off for a professional development day.
The city is forecast to get at least 8 inches of snow in Sunday's massive winter storm, which raised concerns about students being able to get to school safely on Monday morning.
"As snowfall begins to blanket our city and conditions become hazardous, closing school buildings is a necessary step to keep New Yorkers safe," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday. "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. Our school system, and our city, is prepared to weather this storm together."
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the Department of Education has been busy preparing for the possibility of having to cancel in-person classes.
"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. This was a difficult decision made with the safety of every family in mind, and I thank you for your flexibility," Samuels said.
Past struggles with remote learning
The last time public schools pivoted to remote learning due to weather, back in February 2024, technical problems left students and teachers unable to log on for hours. At the time, city officials blamed IBM, the company hired by the city to run the remote learning program.
Newly appointed Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels has promised the system will be prepared this time around.
"I want to say very clearly we have prepared in numerous ways for what might be a pivot to remote for next week, and we've stress tested the system both in person with students logging in and, as well, we've had simulations," Samuels said Friday. "We now have the capacity of having a million logging in at the same time within 60 seconds. We now have that."
Traditional snow days a thing of the past for NYC schools
Mamdani confirmed Friday that city public schools would not have a traditional snow day Monday, explaining that the number of holidays in the school calendar doesn't allow any flexibility for missing a day of class.
New York state law requires students receive 180 days of instruction.
Stay with CBS News New York for the latest on the winter storm impacting our area.