Black ice warning: No face-to-face lessons in schools on Monday

Due to a severe weather warning from the German Weather Service, there will be no face-to-face lessons at schools in Bocholt on Monday, 12 January 2026. The Ministry of Schools and Education of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has made this state-wide decision due to the threat of black ice. Instead of on-site lessons, learning will take place remotely for all pupils.

The Ministry of Schools and Education of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has ordered the state-wide suspension of face-to-face teaching at all schools for 12 January 2026. The reason for this preventative measure is advance information from the German Weather Service, which warns of widespread danger from black ice and considerable disruption on all traffic routes. In order to ensure the safety of pupils and teachers, lessons will take place exclusively in the form of distance learning on this day

The city of Bocholt would like to point out that this regulation applies to the entire city area and all types of schools. For those pupils who cannot be reached by the message in time and still arrive at the school building on Monday morning, the schools will ensure appropriate supervision on site, the ministry informs. The respective schools will provide further details on the distance learning process and specific organisational information independently, for example via their internal school communication channels or the school websites.

The decision to cancel in-person classes early was made on Sunday in order to provide families and schools with a reliable basis for planning. As the final severe weather warning from the German Weather Service was not expected until the evening hours of Sunday, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia decided on the measure in advance on the basis of the existing decree regulations on the cancellation of lessons in the event of extreme weather events. Should the weather situation persist beyond Monday, the Ministry will provide information on how to proceed in good time.

The city of Bocholt has announced that the integration courses at the Bocholt-Rhede adult education centre will also not take place on Monday.