DOE expels snow days from school year calendar
BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELLDOMENECH
The snow day is no more in New York
City public schools.
Next year, students will have to
report to class remotely if the school buildings
are closed due to inclement weather,
according to the Department of Education’s
2021-22 school calendar released
Tuesday May 4.
Last winter, Mayor Bill de Blasio replaced
all snow days with fully remote learning
days to the disappointment of many public
school students and their families. In response,
some public school parents rebelled
by turning the fi rst snowstorm to hit the fi ve
boroughs last December into an unoffi cial
snow day, giving their children the OK to
skip class and play in the record-setting 12.5
inches of powder that blanketed the city.
“It’s usually only one or two days a year
and it’s pretty magical to get outside and
play on those days before the snow turns
into dog poop and street slush,” said Sarah
Yorra, a Brooklyn public school teacher and
parent who said her daughter “felt robbed”
last year after the mayor killed snow days.
“It’s a good break to the routine and a lot
of our immigrant students have never seen
snow before they moved here and most of
Snow days in New York City won’t be as fun and class-free as they once were
for generations of city schoolchildren.
them like to get out and in play in it. So
that’s a bit of bummer to lose out on.”
The updated calendar also replaces Columbus
Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day
and declares Juneteenth, the oldest known
PHOTO BY CAROLINE OURSO
commemoration of the end of slavery in the
United States, a holiday for students. Mayor
de Blasio pledged to make Juneteenth an
offi cial New York City holiday last June
shortly after Governor Cuomo declared
Juneteenth a state holiday amid protests
calling for police reform after the death of
George Floyd.
In addition, all public school students
will have a remote learning day on November
2, 2021, Election Day. But the city’s
decision to solely provide online instruction
on Election Day can change depending on
state guidance, offi cials added.
“Over the years, the DOE introduced additional
holiday observances as part of the
school calendar, and has contractual obligations
which limit the number of possible
school days,” said a DOE spokesperson in
an email. “The pandemic has also created
the ability to switch seamlessly to remote
learning, and DOE central and schools
have distributed hundreds of thousands
of devices to ensure that learning can
continue remotely during school closures.”
Although DOE officials touted the
department’s effort to provide public
school students with the technology they
need, some teachers worry that replacing
snow days or inclement weather days with
remote learning days will ultimately hurt
those students without reliable access to
the internet or internet-accessible device
such as a computer or an iPad. They are
particularly concerned about students currently
living in the homeless shelter system.
CANDIDATE A
CANDIDATE B
CANDIDATE C
CANDIDATE D
CANDIDATE E
1ST
CHOICE
2ND
CHOICE
3RD
CHOICE
4TH
CHOICE
5TH
CHOICE
• Mayor
• Public Advocate
• Comptroller
• Borough President
• City Council
• Early Voting: June 12-20
• Election Day: June 22
More Info: VOTE.NYC
866-VOTE-NYC (866-868-3692)
TTY: 212-487-5496
Now you
can rank
up to 5
candidates
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
to their name under the ‘1st Choice’ column.
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
under the ‘2nd Choice’ column.
You may continue this process for up to 5 candidates.
You do not have to choose 5
10 May 6, 2021 Schneps Media