STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that schools will be closed Monday as the city gets inundated with snow.
“A full, classic snow day,” Mamdani said in a post to X.
No remote learning will be held as the blizzard sets to rankle the five boroughs Sunday into Monday.
“So, my only ask to you is that you stay safe,” Mamdani said. “Stay indoors at the height of the storm. Once that has passed, feel free to go out and sled.”
Ahead of Mamdani’s announcement, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said the following: “On the eve of another snowstorm, which is projected to bring a significant amount of snowfall across the City again, we are once again calling for an early decision to be made for schools to be closed Monday.”
“The snowstorm several weeks ago did a number on the City and created hazardous driving and pedestrian walking conditions across Staten Island. Do we want to repeat the same mistake again?” Fossella asked. “Let’s keep schools closed Monday, give kids the snow day, and announce this early so that parents have the time to make any necessary preparations.”
On Saturday, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the city, its first in close to a decade, from 6 a.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday with the worst of the storm expected overnight Sunday into Monday.
January’s Winter Storm Fern brought around a foot of snow to much of the five boroughs, including an 11.4-inch official measurement in Central Park.
That storm also led to Mamdani closing schools for a day with about 500,000 of the city’s public school children having a remote learning day.
Days off throughout the year have given the city little wiggle room for a traditional snow day without having to make it up at the end of the year.
Under state law, school systems need to meet a 180-day instructional requirement, and since the pandemic era, New York City public schools have used virtual learning days to ensure they meet the mandate even if kids can’t be in-person.