James Madison High School in Brooklyn will hold remote classes on Wednesday as its facilities are used to shelter nearly 2,000 migrants overnight due to the winter storm that is slamming the East Coast.

On Tuesday, New York City officials evacuated approximately 1,900 migrants housed in a tent shelter at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field and moved them to the high school’s gymnasium and auditorium. New York city council minority whip Inna Vernikov, a Republican, condemned the move, saying public schools are not meant “to be shelters or facilities for emergency housing.”

“This is both unacceptable and was entirely foreseeable, as Floyd Bennett Field is vulnerable to all forms of inclement weather conditions and is not a sustainable housing facility,” Vernikov said in a statement. “As an elected official representing this community, I demand a full stop to using our public schools as a shelter ever again.”

Ahead of the move, students at James Madison High School were dismissed early on Tuesday and told to take Wednesday classes online. “This will agitate local residents, disrupt the entire school environment, and place a tremendous burden on our families, students, school administrators and staff,” Vernikov said. About 4,000 students attend the high school.

The councilwoman also posted a video on X, urging New York City mayor Eric Adams to stop using public schools as emergency shelters and instead bring the migrants to his home, Gracie Mansion.

In addition to disrupting the students’ schedules, Vernikov noted, the situation is also bad for the migrants.

National Review contacted New York City’s Department of Education press office and James Madison High School for comment but received no response.

In a joint statement, the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless asked city officials to stop placing families with children at the Floyd Bennett Field facility, given the winter season’s harsh weather.

“This last-minute evacuation further proves that Floyd Bennett Field — a facility mired in a flood zone, miles from schools and other services — has never and will never serve as an appropriate and safe place to shelter families with children,” both organizations said Tuesday. “Needless to say, today will be very traumatic and disruptive for these families. We fear, especially with more inclement weather expected this winter, that this is only a foreshadow of more problems to come, and we again urge the City to cease placing families with children at this facility.”