Riyadh Schools Reopen After Late Online-Class Notice

Schools in Riyadh returned to in-person classes on Monday, September 28, after parents received late-night messages the previous day saying campuses would close and lessons would move online. The scope of the original instruction and the reason for its reversal were not publicly explained. The return followed a message sent to parents late Sunday saying Riyadh campuses would be open for in-person learning the next day. Reports of the earlier shift described emails telling families schools would remain closed for a week, while another account said several private schools planned remote instruction through October 1. The accounts did not establish whether the first instruction applied to all schools or was issued by authorities, individual schools or a group of schools. No public explanation was reported for either the initial online-learning notice or the reversal. A report on the private schools said Riyadh’s education administration had not announced an order requiring all schools in the capital to move online. It also said the schools had not publicly explained their decisions. The available information does not confirm that security concerns prompted the school notices.