Take this with you

  • National mourning applies on 8 and 9 November 2026 (Journal of Laws 2026, item 1471).
  • 9 November is not a day off: schools and preschools are open as usual.
  • Flags on public schools fly at half-mast; parties and sports events may be postponed.
  • In Kraków, city mourning lasts until 11 November and city events are cancelled.
  • 11 November is a public holiday; 10, 12 and 13 November depend on the head teacher.

The short answer

Yes. On Monday 9 November, schools and preschools in Poland are open and lessons follow the normal timetable. National mourning (żałoba narodowa) is not a public holiday and not a day off school. The regulation that declares it says nothing about cancelling classes.

President Karol Nawrocki declared national mourning for Sunday 8 and Monday 9 November 2026 after Saturday's attack on Kraków's Main Market Square, in which six people were killed. Prime Minister Donald Tusk countersigned the regulation. It was published in Dziennik Ustaw (the Journal of Laws, where Polish legislation is officially published) on 7 November as item 1471 and took effect on publication.

What the regulation says

The act has four short paragraphs. It declares mourning on 8 and 9 November to honour the victims of what it calls an unprecedented act of terror in Kraków, orders the national flag to be lowered to half-mast, and asks radio, television and the press to commemorate the victims.

The flag is to be lowered in particular on buildings of state authorities, local government bodies and municipal organisational units (komunalne jednostki organizacyjne). Schools and preschools run by a gmina (municipality) or powiat (county) are such units, so on Monday you will see the flag at half-mast or with a black ribbon (kir) on them. The regulation does not close schools, shops or offices.

What Monday may look like at school

The law does not prescribe a programme for schools on a day of mourning, so the head teacher (dyrektor) decides. Usually this means a minute of silence, a conversation during the form period (godzina wychowawcza) and postponing parties, discos or sports events planned for that day. Entertainment events, concerts and sports events are commonly cancelled during national mourning.

Check the e-dziennik (the school's electronic register and messaging system) in the morning. If the school moves anything, such as a trip or a rehearsal for a ceremony, the message will be there. Your child does not need to bring anything special. If the news from Kraków has upset them, tell the form teacher (wychowawca) or the school psychologist.

Kraków: city mourning until 11 November

In Kraków the mourning lasts longer. Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared it from Sunday 8 to Wednesday 11 November inclusive. Flags with black ribbons hang on city buildings, and all events organised by the city office, municipal units and city-owned companies are cancelled. Schools and preschools run by the city are municipal units too, so their events on those days will most likely be postponed. The school management will give details.

The city has set up free psychological support for residents. We gathered the phone numbers and advice on how to talk to children in our 7 November article about the shooting in Kraków.

This week in the school calendar

Mourning does not change the calendar of days off. Tuesday 10 November is a normal school day unless your school set it earlier as a dzień dyrektorski (an extra day off chosen by the head teacher). The Ministry of Education (MEN) planned its "Szkoła do hymnu" national anthem event for that day; by Sunday morning the ministry had not announced any change. Wednesday 11 November, National Independence Day, is a statutory public holiday. Thursday and Friday, 12 and 13 November, are up to the head teacher.

You can check your school's days off in the days-off calendar in the Tools section of NaukoMapa and in our guide to days off in November 2026.

Sources & further reading

Prepared with AI assistance using the sources below. Editorial standards ↗