NYC public schools’ remote snow day faces minor tech glitches; parents prefer traditional snow day

Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels

Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

NYC public schools pivoted to online learning on Monday in the aftermath of a major storm that pummeled the Big Apple with more than a foot of snow in many neighborhoods, wreaking havoc on roads and transit. 

Parents across the city told amNewYork that logging on to remote classes after the first major snowstorm of the winter season “went okay,” with only some minor bumps along the way. 

“Logistically, it’s been pretty fine. There were some hiccups but we eventually got into the Google Meet and eventually got access to all the stuff,” said Olivia Greer, a parent from the Upper West Side. 

She added that the day would have been better spent if students had enjoyed some fresh air while playing in the fluffy white stuff. 

“My own view is that I don’t understand why the Department of Education is so focused on snow days being remote school,” she said. “It is unclear to me why children can’t just have a day to play in the snow.”

Wilmara Valentin Piece, also of the Upper West Side, said logging in was “a bit annoying” and the remote learning site was not working, at least at first. NYC public schools use a variety of online sites to support remote learning. 

“All the links were a mess, but once we figured it out, things started going smoothly,” she said. “I still wish it was just another snow day.”

However, a citywide Google Classroom outage at schools that use the system delayed access to the virtual learning space.

Many parents received a notice from school officials alerting them that the system was not working. The notice also recommended users of Google Classroom refresh their pages or try logging in again.

Schools have been working with Google leadership to resolve issues with the system, a Department of Education spokesperson told amNewYork. 

NYC Public Schools: ‘Preparation matters’

But overall, remote learning experienced only “minor hiccups” on Monday morning. 

“Preparation matters, and we are proud to share that we experienced only minor hiccups with remote logins this morning,” the DOE spokesperson said. “Our helpdesk has reported that the number of support requests is in line with a normal school day, and our students are logged in and engaging in virtual schoolwork.” 

A public school librarian told amNewYork that her students had a lot of fun during their remote session—something she credits, at least in part, to her experience with virtual learning during the pandemic.

“As a librarian in my school, I had lots of kindergarten kids on with me,” she said. “We had lots of fun. I was a pro at teaching remotely during the pandemic, but six years later, I was nervous. It worked out really well.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced that schools would go remote on Sunday morning, during the heaviest part of the weekend’s snowfall. The mayor said he made the decision to move to remote learning on Monday out of safety for students, families and staff while still meeting the state’s 180-day instructional requirement.

“As of 9:15 a.m. this morning, we have over 400,000 parent, student and staff logins,” Mamdani said on Monday. The mayor noted that Jan. 26 was a previously scheduled day off for many middle and high school students whose teachers had professional development time. “So our decision to go remote impacts a portion of our school system.” 

Meanwhile, in Staten Island, Borough President Vito Fossella agreed with Mamdani’s decision on Sunday, but also said a traditional snow day would have been a better course of action.

“It would seem that a traditional snow day is the best option, but the city has declared that is not an option, in part due to the need to comply with the state law on the number of days kids must be in school,” the beep said. “In the interest of keeping parents, children, and staff safe, and for keeping the roads clear for sanitation to clean the snow, we believe schools should be closed to in-person instruction on Monday, if a traditional snow day is not an option.”

Parents on Staten Island reported “no issues” with logging into classes from home this morning.

“Honestly, I have two kids in two different schools and it’s been fine,” John Dimiceli, a father in the borough, said. “No issues as of now.”

Another parent in the borough reported her experience as having gone “smoothly.”

Charter and nonpublic schools made independent decisions regarding closures on Monday. However, charter schools co-located in NYC public school buildings were closed when the school system pivoted to remote instruction.