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Read the press release here.

All Public Schools and Some Universities Will Remain Closed Through Friday

By  Patrick Wall and Carla Zanoni | October 30, 2012 3:11pm | Updated on October 31, 2012 3:22pm

NEW YORK CITY — All public schools and some universities will remain closed through Friday as mass transit has yet to resume, power is out across large swaths of the city and many citizens are holed up in emergency shelters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, officials said Wednesday.

"Hopefully by Monday, everything will be back perfect," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday marks the third straight day that weather conditions have kept the city’s 1.1 million public school students out of class.

The mayor said teachers are required to report to their schools on Friday in order to prepare for students to return Monday.

New York University canceled its classes through Saturday, while Columbia University resumed classes Wednesday.

Pace New York City's campus is closed through Sunday, Nov. 4. A decision about classes early next week will be made as more information about power and transportation become available, according to the school's website.

The Education Department’s administrative offices were open Wednesday, and all staff are expected to report to work unless they are volunteering in a shelter, said DOE spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.

Seventy-six public schools and colleges around the city are currently being used as emergency shelters.

Feinberg said the extent of damage to school facilities remained unclear Tuesday afternoon.

“We know some school buildings were damaged but we do not have details available yet,” Feinberg said, adding, “We have people in the field surveying.”

At least one school building, John Dewey High School in Gravesend, Brooklyn, sustained damage during the storm, according to a Fire Department spokesman.

Some 60 firefighters responded to a fire in the school’s electrical room early Tuesday morning, the spokesman said.

There were no injuries and the cause remained unclear Tuesday afternoon, but the spokesman said, “I’m going to imagine there’s a good deal of water that got into the electrical equipment and that causes a problem.”