New York City will have a good old-fashioned snow day Monday.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the city’s public schools will be closed Monday and there won’t be any online classes either due to the incoming blizzard.
Mamdani announced the news to a public school student on a Facetime call in a social media video.
“This will be New York City’s first old school snow day since 2019,” Mamdani said at a news conference.
Officials said that the city was granted a waiver from the state education department to close schools due to logistical challenges with students and staff returning from the midwinter recess, namely because the schools didn’t distribute devices for remote learning before the break.
“Having a traditional snow day is the right decision,” Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said. He also noted difficulties with distributing devices and the restrictions of travel due to the emergency weather.
Heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions are expected Sunday afternoon as meteorologists are estimating between one and two feet of snow and wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.
Mamdani’s decision for a classic snow day differs from what he opted for last month. In January, when New York City’s biggest snowstorm in nearly a decade left at least 11 inches of snow on the city’s sidewalks, plazas, parks and public spaces, the mayor required students to attend remote classes.
Classes were mostly smooth but several families and schools reported tech outages throughout the day.
As a concession, Mamdani said then, “I know that this may disappoint some students. So, if you do see me, feel free to throw a snowball at me."
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the safety and security of both the students and their family is a top priority. Officials didn’t share plans on whether school will be back in person Tuesday, or students will learn remotely.
“We will see you soon when schools reopen,” Samuels said.
