NYC during the blizzard of 2026.
Photo by Dean Moses
NYC public schools will reopen on Tuesday for in-person classes, Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed during a press conference about the ongoing blizzard conditions in NYC.
Schools will open at the regular start time, according to the mayor. Normal programs and extracurricular activities will resume.
“I hope our students enjoyed their snow day today and stay warm and safe throughout, because I have some tough news to share. School will be in person tomorrow,” Mamdani said.
School buses will run on a normal schedule, city operations staff said. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said maintenance crews have been clearing snow and ice outside schools throughout the city and getting classrooms ready for in-person instruction.
“I want to recognize facilities, custodial and school teams who have been working around the clock to move snow and ice to make clear paths and prepare classrooms for students’ return,” Samuels said. “The team efforts have been nothing short of extraordinary.”
The return to in-person classes follows Monday’s traditional school closure, which affected both in-person and online instruction during the storm.
The decision to close the schools on Monday, on the heels of the annual mid-winter recess last week, was made for various reasons, including safety.
The blizzard hit the Big Apple just as public school students returned from a week-long midwinter recess. The break in classes prevented teachers from providing students with the materials needed for remote learning, officials said.
The New York State requirement mandates 180 days of instruction per academic year. However, an exemption was granted on Monday due to the storm’s severity and other extenuating circumstances.
Meanwhile, Samuels said city officials will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout the storm.
Both Mamdani and Samuels jokingly invited the city’s students to pelt them with snowballs for their decision.