NYC public schools will return to in-person classes Tuesday, Mayor Mamdani says
New York City's public schools will be back to in-person classes Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced Monday afternoon.
"Thanks to the round-the-clock work of our schools facilities teams, we are ready to welcome students and staff back to classrooms tomorrow," Mamdani said.
Samuels said 8,000 Department of Education staff are working to make sure schools are ready to open for classes Tuesday.
Remote learning on Monday a success, NYC officials say
Mamdani announced Monday's move to remote learning as a powerful winter storm brought record-breaking snow to the Big Apple Sunday.
The remote learning applied to K-8 students, while high schoolers and some 6-8 grade students were already scheduled to have the day off for a professional development day.
Samuels said the pivot to remote learning went "very well." The mayor also hailed it as a success.
"When it mattered most, our communities worked together to weather the storm," Samuels said.
"I am deeply grateful to our school leaders, educators and families for making today's remote learning day a success and for preparing our students to return," Mamdani added.
"It was a smooth start to the day"
The Department of Education said users experienced minor hiccups with remote log-ins. Any school or family having issues were urged to call (718) 935-5100 for assistance.
The DOE said in a statement, "The number of support requests is in line with a normal school day," adding 500,000 students should have attended virtual school Monday. As of 9:15 a.m., there were 400,000 log-ins by students and staff.
"So this morning, I not only logged on with the mayor to a class, where we read, 'The Snowy Day,' I also logged on with my own daughter before I left home," Samuels said. "And so I was pleased to announce that both times we were able to log in, like most of the rest of the city, to our classrooms. Things have gone very well this morning. It was a smooth start to the day. Students were able to log on to their virtual classroom quickly and get right into their schools day."
Mamdani joked about the resentment some students might feel about not getting a snow day, and reiterated his somewhat surprising offer from Sunday. The mayor had previously explained a snow day was not an option because of a state law requiring 180 days of instruction, and with recent holidays added to the calendar, there wasn't the bandwidth for a school day in this case.
"I did visit a classroom this morning remotely, alongside the chancellor, and reiterated my offer to students that they could pelt me in the face with a snowball. They were very excited about that, and asked for a time and place."
The decision to go remote was somewhat fraught. Parents recalled the last time New York City attempted full remote learning in 2024, it took hours for students and teachers to log on. Officials said prior to Monday that system has since been "stress tested," and that they felt confident Monday would pass more smoothly.