Will NYC, NJ schools remain open on Jan 26? Mamdani gives update amid winter storm

A winter storm has hit New York City, New Jersey, and surrounding areas. The New York City Department of Sanitation on Friday scheduled a Snow Alert

A winter storm has hit New York City, New Jersey, and surrounding areas. The New York City Department of Sanitation on Friday scheduled a Snow Alert, from 1 AM Sunday, further noting that this could be the largest snowfall the city has seen in five years. As per the forecast, the storm could last till Monday, and school students should not expect a traditional snow day.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he would communicate the final decision clearly and directly to families and students as to what it will look like on Monday once he makes the final decision. (AFP)

Will New York City schools remain open on Monday?

City officials are instead preparing for a system-wide switch to remote learning, a move that carries concerns after the last attempt ended with widespread technical failures.

“Once we make a final decision as to what it will look like on Monday, we will communicate that clearly and directly to families and to students, themselves,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

Union leaders say calendar constraints leave little room for weather-related closures.

“Because of the number of holidays that New York City has in its school year, which is the most of any school system, we are very tight on our schedule, so we have to pivot to remote. So the traditional snow days are gone,” United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew added.

Public school students may only reportedly be able to attend remote classes early next week as the city prepares for a massive storm that the mayor has said is likely to bring “3–16 inches of snow".

“I know to the disappointment of any student that’s watching this right now, Monday is either going to be a remote learning day or it’s going to be an in-person school day. It’s not going to be a traditional snow day. That is a determination we’ve made," Mamdani added. He further acknowledged that the decision will likely be disappointing.

“There’s a student who somehow found my wife’s email. They apparently made some great points. She thought it was a very, very good argument," he said. “If it’s on the lower end, we have full confidence that we can clean our streets such that students can get into school. But we want to give our sanitation department these next few days to see what we are actually looking at."

Will NJ schools remain open on Monday?

NJ would likely follow NYC's footsteps and announce remote learning.

"The district is monitoring the weather, its impact, as well as our ability to ready our facilities for school and other events. If conditions continue as forecasted, the district should anticipate a snow day on Monday," the Nutley Public Schools posted on its website. Official announcements will be made on Sunday.