A decision tied to the NFL Draft is quickly turning into a national public debate, as people flood social media with reactions to Pittsburgh Public Schools’ decision to move classes online that week.
Pittsburgh Public Schools announced this week that students will be learning remotely April 22 to 24, the Wednesday through Friday of NFL Draft week. The draft begins on April 23, a Thursday.
As many as 700,000 people are expected to visit Pittsburgh for the draft.
National media picked up on PPS’ announcement later in the week. ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted the news to X on Friday. He has around 11.6 million followers on X.
Pittsburgh Public Schools will operate remotely from April 22–24 as the city prepares to host the 2026 NFL Draft.
With road closures, heightened security, parking restrictions, and heavy traffic expected, the city believes remote learning is the best option during that time. pic.twitter.com/IPzOeuXn1X
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 20, 2026
Some users on X gave PPS flack for the decision, claiming the three-day remote learning schedule was an overreaction or that officials misplaced priorities over students’ education.
This is gross. NFL over kids education and families? Not okay. Roger going to pay for daycare for all those families, or is the City? Dirty work. If I'm missing something sorry but c'mon people this is the offseason and we're deprioritizing children? Hate it.
— Charlie (@C_harlieB) March 20, 2026
Others understood the move, predicting a strain of resources hundreds of thousands of visitors will have on Pittsburgh’s roads and infrastructure.
Makes sense with the 2026 NFL Draft coming in, the city’s gonna be chaos. Remote learning is the safest call.
— Anurag (@Imanurag11) March 20, 2026
And some X users compared Pittsburgh’s love for football to the decision.
The head of Pittsburgh public schools is a confirmed football guy
— DMVFootballGuy (@DMVFootballGuy) March 20, 2026
Green Bay hosted the NFL Draft last year and closed schools for three days for the draft. Detroit, which hosted the draft two years ago, did not close schools.
PPS operates 54 schools in the city. One, Pittsburgh CAPA, is located downtown; and Manchester, King and Allegheny are located on the North Side.
“Our priority is maintaining continuity of learning while recognizing the extraordinary circumstances the city will experience during the NFL Draft,” said Superintendent Wayne N. Walters.
PPS will also reschedule its state assessment testing.
Mathematics PSSAs for students in third through eighth grades will take place April 20 and 21.
The English Language Arts exam for third through eighth grade students. Science PSSAs for fifth through eighth grade students will take place April 28 to May 4.
Make-up tests will be administered from May 4 to 8.
Pittsburgh Pioneer and Conroy education centers will offer synchronous instruction during the NFL Draft.
The school district also closed its schools during the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh in September 2009.
Point Park University has decided to move classes to a remote model from April 20 to 25.