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New York Public School Students Can Forget Snow Days Again This Year Thanks to a Remote Learning Plan
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New York Public School Students Can Forget Snow Days Again This Year Thanks to a Remote Learning Plan

New York students can forget about snow days.

Department of Education will stick to its remote learning plan when winter weather arrives – despite a series of problems what happened to the system earlier this year.

“At least for this year, I can tell you that if you have a snow day, it’s going to be a distant day,” Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said at an event in Manhattan Tuesday evening.

Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said the Department of Education will stick to its remote learning plan when winter arrives. Robert Miller

Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said the Department of Education will stick to its remote learning plan when winter arrives. Robert Miller

Aviles-Ramos, who took over as head of the nation’s largest public school district in September, made the announcement in response to a hopeful parent who asked about the possibility of a return of snow days.

Nearly 200 people, including students, parents, local leaders and DOE staff, attended the meeting at the High School of Graphic Communication Arts on West 49th Street – the kickoff of the “Five Listening Tour arrondissements” planned by Aviles-Ramos.

“I’m not going to give you false hope,” she told a packed house.

The news didn’t sit well with some parents, including a Queens mother who called remote learning “unnecessary.”

“We need a good old snow day,” said Keely Valk, whose children attend a school in Queens.

“Personally, I don’t agree with the idea of ​​removing them and making them distant. Luckily my kids weren’t in school during COVID, but I find remote learning useless.

The department’s remote learning plan hit a snag in February, when a massive snowstorm forced schoolchildren online.

At an event Tuesday evening, Aviles-Ramos said:

At an event Tuesday evening, Aviles-Ramos said, “At least for this year, I can tell you if you have a snow day, it’s going to be a distant day,” Paul Martinka said.

At the time, about 60% of parents who spoke to the Post said their children were having trouble logging into the system from home — and about 40% said that even if they could access it, they faced to a multitude of other problems.

Then-Schools Chancellor David Banks was quick to blame tech giant IBM — which handles authentication for virtual platforms — but later admitted that the terms of the DOE’s contract with the company had contributed to the mess.

After the disastrous rollout, the DOE held a remote learning simulation in June to better prepare for an emergency — although some families said they felt guilty when joining.

Students and families were asked to voluntarily log into their school system at a predefined time slot on June 6 to participate in the non-educational activity.

Alina Adams, who has a daughter at an Upper West Side school, told the Post that “very few people cared about the June mock.”

Aviles-Ramos took office as schools chancellor in September after then-schools chancellor David Banks resigned from the post amid a wave of resignations from officials in Mayor Eric Adams' administration amid federal investigations. Robert Miller

Aviles-Ramos took office as schools chancellor in September after then-schools chancellor David Banks resigned from the post amid a wave of resignations from officials in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration amid federal investigations. Robert Miller

“Whereas New York, despite years of practice during COVID, has yet to develop a viable remote learning system,” she said.

“It seems like the logical thing to do is to give the kids their snow day.”

The DOE did not say how many people participated in the simulation, or whether others have taken place since.

Aviles-Ramos said Tuesday that her hands are tied when it comes to bringing back snow days, citing state law requiring New York City’s 1,800 public schools to offer a minimum of 180 days of teaching to more than 1.1 million students.

“We would love to make everyone happy.” We are not able to do this. We have to comply with state laws and regulations,” she said.

Aviles-Ramos succeeded former Chancellor David Banks to lead the department following his resignation — is part of a wave of officials in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration who have resigned amid federal investigations.

The banks have not been accused of wrongdoing.

“I want to be seen as a partner in stability and continuity,” she told community members Tuesday. “And I mean that because having been an educator for almost two decades, I’ve been through some transitions and I know what it’s like. like when you worry that things will change and it will affect your class, your children and your parents.