Weather and Public Schools

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Sunday that all city public school buildings will be closed Monday, with roughly 500,000 students expected to attend classes remotely as a winter storm threatens up to a foot of snow. The move marks Mamdani’s first big weather test as mayor and reverses his earlier statement Friday that there would be no traditional snow day, with the administration citing both student safety and the need to meet the state’s 180‑day instructional requirement. City officials say they spent the past week distributing devices, notifying families and preparing teachers to teach online, while high school students and some middle schoolers whose teachers had a scheduled professional learning day will have the day off entirely. With snow already accumulating Sunday, the mayor urged New Yorkers to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel as forecasts show the storm bearing down on the region alongside a broader Arctic blast affecting much of the country.