Pittsburgh Public Schools Announce Schedule Changes for Week of 2026 NFL Draft

Pittsburgh public schools will utilize "remote asynchronous teaching and learning" from April 22–24 due to the influx of visitors expected for the 2026 NFL draft, per Caitlyn Scott and Marcie Cipriani of WTAE.com.

"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 sort of exciting time, but also some challenging times when we think about accessibility, transportation, and safety," Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent Wayne Walters said Wednesday.

Walters also noted that the city hosting the draft was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and said that going with remote learning was a chance for students to enjoy the experience.

While some parents were pleased with the decision, given the potential public transportation complications with that many visitors in the city, others had concerns about the change.

"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," one parent, Valerie Webb Allman, told WTAE.com.

Between 1965 to 2014, the NFL held the draft in New York City. But after two years in Chicago (2015-16), the league moved to new host cities each year, taking the draft to Philadelphia, Arlington, Nashville, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Detroit and Green Bay (it was also remote in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Up next is Pittsburgh, followed by Washington D.C. in 2027.