New York City public schools will hold classes remotely due to the snow
New York City public schools will hold remote classes Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced on social media, as the metro area prepares for what could be the biggest snowfall in more than two years.
A winter storm is likely to blanket parts of the Northeast Monday through Tuesday, bringing up to two inches of snow per hour in some areas. Five to eight inches are expected in New York City and Long Island, which could significantly disrupt morning commutes.
Since schools closed and moved to remote classes in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, many districts, including New York — the nation's largest — have planned to abandon the tradition of canceling classes in response to heavy snowfall. So on Tuesday, more than 900,000 city students will switch to virtual learning in the system's first experiment with a remote snow day since schools fully reopened.
“Our kids need to learn,” Mayor Adams said at a news conference Monday when asked about students wanting the day off. “They fell behind. We need to catch up. That's what we need to focus on.”
The decision to hold classes online was announced just after 10 a.m. on Monday, just hours before snow was expected to fall in the city. Mayor Adams previously faced intense criticism for slow communication in the lead-up to bad weather.
During a heavy rainstorm in September, the government's decision to keep schools open came under fire after about 150 schools were flooded and one was evacuated. Many students arrived at their first period soaking wet and were rushed to the upper floors to avoid flooding. At the time, Mayor Adams defended the decision to keep schools open.
The school system previously held remote classes for some older students in June when smoke from wildfires worsened air quality. But the majority of children would already be free.
On Tuesday, the snow will provide a key test of the system's readiness for virtual learning in the wake of the pandemic.
The school's chancellor, David C. Banks, said Monday that he believes the system is “more than prepared” for the transition. The city purchased more than 700,000 iPads and laptops for students at the beginning of the pandemic. In recent months, families have been asked to do this practice logging in remotely.
Yet New York schools are now educating more than 35,000 immigrant students who have never learned remotely in the city, along with many other vulnerable children who may not have reliable internet service.
“Anytime you're dealing with technology in a system of this size, there are always going to be issues,” Mr Banks said. “We want to minimize those problems.” He added: “We will assess our effectiveness every step of the way.”
The decision to keep schools open – or close – inevitably attracts both criticism and praise. Between 1978 and 2013, only eleven snow days were declared. But Mayor Bill de Blasio had to cancel seven times in his first five years in office because of snow.
Rita Joseph, who heads the council's education committee, said in a statement that she appreciated the advance notice. “We need to ensure that our students and teachers can have a fruitful, remote day without interruptions,” Ms. Joseph said.