Schools in Northern Ireland "should close" on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
That is according to a letter to school principals from Education Minister Michelle McIlveen.
Monday 19 September is the day of the Queen's state funeral and will be a bank holiday in the UK. Schools in England, Scotland and Wales are expected to close.
Ms McIlveen said NI schools could treat it as an "exceptional closure day".
Schools had previously been told by the Department of Education (DE) they could make a decision on whether to close.
