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2026 NFL Draft Just Caused Pittsburgh Public School Closures for 3 Days?
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- 2026 NFL Draft Just Caused Pittsburgh Public School Closures for 3 Days?
It seems that the NFL Draft has become such a massive three-day event that it has forced the city of Pittsburgh to close public schools when the league descends on the municipality next month.
Fans of various sports look forward to their favorite league's annual draft. The event offers them hope that their teams select a player or players who can lead them to playoff births and championships in the years ahead. However, there is no more-watched draft than the NFL's.
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The annual NFL Draft is so popular that it was eventually spread over three days, and the first two are aired in primetime. Yet, in recent years, the event has grown even bigger. Now, the league holds the draft at outdoor venues that draw a couple 100,000 people for each day of the event.
As many as 700,000 fans could arrive in Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Well, that fact has worried officials in Pittsburgh, and they took a bold step to keep their younger citizens safe. This week, city officials announced that all Pittsburgh public schools will be closed from April 22nd to April 24th.
"We know it's not ideal, but it is a reality of a city hosting a big event where we're expecting about 500,000-700,000 visitors into our city, and it will completely create a sort of exciting time, but also some challenging times when we think about accessibility, transportation, and safety," Superintendent Wayne Walters said.
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While schools will be closed for the three days, it won't be a day off for students. Classes for the trio of days will switch to remote learning.
"One day here and there for a snow day is one thing, but three days in a row, that's a big gap when we don't have a whole lot of time, and we're not going to be making up any of that time," Valerie Webb Allman, a mother of a Pittsburgh public school student, told ABC 4 .
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