New York City school buildings will be closed on Monday and students will learn remotely, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Sunday.
With the city expected to receive as much as a foot of snow from a major winter storm moving across the United States, Mr. Mamdani is navigating his first major test as mayor after taking office this month. He had said on Friday that despite the inclement weather, there would not be a traditional snow day.
Mr. Mamdani said in a statement on Sunday that he wanted to make sure that families stayed home.
“As snowfall begins to blanket our city, we have decided that tomorrow will be a REMOTE school day for New York City schools to keep everyone safe from hazardous weather conditions,” Mr. Mamdani said. “There will be no in-person instruction.”
He added: “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.”
High school students and some middle school students whose teachers had a previously scheduled “professional learning day” on Monday will have the day off.
The mayor said that roughly 500,000 students were expected to switch to remote instruction.
As a mayoral candidate, Mr. Mamdani had expressed enthusiasm for having snow days off to go sledding. Now, as mayor, he said the city needed to teach students remotely to ensure that the school system met a state requirement of 180 days per year of instruction.
With snow beginning to accumulate in the city on Sunday, Mr. Mamdani encouraged New Yorkers to avoid traveling.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is a public policy correspondent for The Times, covering New York City.
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