Pittsburgh students move to remote learning as NFL draft consumes the city

Thousands of Pittsburgh public school students are moving to remote learning, as the city prepares to host the 2026 NFL Draft.

The NFL draft has become such a production that the league starts planning each one about two and a half years in advance.

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Starting last summer, some of the main partners in the 2026 draft, set to be held this week in Pittsburgh, began meeting regularly to discuss the planning and logistics and the impact the draft would have on the city at large.

These meetings included representatives from the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the tourism agency Visit Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Public School District and officials from city transportation and public safety, according to Wayne N. Walters, district superintendent, and a public school official who attended the meetings, Merecedes J. Williams.