NEW YORK (WABC) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, and other city officials were set to explain their snow plan for this weekend and Monday.
As the city prepares for the winter storm, Mayor Mamdani said in a televised report Friday morning that there will be no traditional snow day on Monday in the case that one is needed.
LATEST INFORMATION ON TRI-STATE WINTER SNOWSTORM
Instead, schools will either remain open for in-person instruction on Monday or shift to remote learning if school buildings are closed.
Mamdani said he will decide whether schools will be open by noon Sunday.
A city official noted the absence of a traditional snow day is largely out of the mayor’s control.
This year’s school calendar is set at exactly 180 days, the state minimum required to qualify for funding, leaving the Mamdani administration no choice but to rely on remote learning to comply with state law.
The mayor cited six inches of snow as a general threshold for closing school buildings.
Less than six inches would likely mean schools remain open as normal, while more than six inches would likely lead to building closures and remote learning. He emphasized this is only an indicator, not a firm commitment.
To prepare for the possibility of remote instruction, the city will test its virtual learning technology over the weekend, including stress tests.
Officials are also planning staggered school start times Monday to prevent system overloads that have occurred in the past.
Public school students will be sent home Friday with equipment and instructions for virtual learning.
Principals have been directed to ensure students have tablets or laptops so they can participate remotely from home if buildings are closed.
The city has continued transitioning to remote learning since the pandemic, despite recent technical glitches.
While Mamdani appeared nostalgic for traditional snow days, recounting a childhood sledding injury, he acknowledged the “massive impact on people’s day-to-day lives” that school closures can have, including childcare challenges.
That impact is one reason city schools have historically stayed open during routine winter storms.
High school students already have Monday off for a previously scheduled Professional Development Day.
Elementary school students and most middle school students are scheduled to be in session.
As the city notes, “Students in high schools and schools that serve only grades 6-12 are not in attendance.”
The approaching storm marks the first major test of governance for the Mamdani administration.
The mayor plans to tour neighborhoods throughout the weekend to monitor conditions and post updates on social media.
Administration officials have also studied past missteps by previous mayors in hopes of avoiding similar problems.
Upon taking office, Mamdani announced he would temporarily retain Acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan and Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol to ensure continuity of critical winter operations. Iscol has since submitted his resignation, effective February 11.
Snow preparations are already underway. Crews began pre-treating roads today, brining highways, major streets, and bike lanes. About 2,000 sanitation workers will begin 12-hour shifts Saturday morning.
The city has more than 2,000 plows, most of them collection trucks with plows attached, 700 salt spreaders, and roughly 700 million pounds of salt on hand for the weekend.
More information on school closings
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