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New York City public schools reopened for in-person learning Tuesday following a historic blizzard, but the return was met with sharp criticism and dramatically low attendance — with just 63% of students citywide showing up, well below the typical 88–92% rate.
The decision by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to reopen schools drew immediate backlash from parents, elected officials, union leaders, and students. According to ABC7 New York, roughly 12,000 of the city's 78,000 teachers called out sick Tuesday, and the Department of Education could only find 5,000 substitute teachers to fill in.
The situation was especially dire on Staten Island, which received nearly 28–30 inches of snow — the most of any borough. Attendance there dropped to around 16%, with some schools reporting up to 90% of students absent. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella called the city's response "horrible" and the decision to reopen a "big mistake."
"A very terrible response to the storm," Fossella told FOX 5 New York. "If you drive around Staten Island, a lot of roads are still impassable. North shore, mid-shore, south shore, all over the island, people can't move, literally."
Fossella said his office asked City Hall to exempt Staten Island schools from the reopening order, but "we were met with basically silence." He noted the borough's car-dependent nature made the situation uniquely dangerous. "We are one- and two-family homes, a car-dependent community," he said. "One size does not fit all."
Mayor Mamdani defended the call at a Tuesday news conference, saying the city's Department of Education was not in a position to shift quickly to remote learning, particularly coming off mid-winter break. The New York Post reported Mamdani said the city could not guarantee that all students had the devices they needed for remote learning.
"Our public schools hold a purpose beyond providing a designated place for kids to learn," Mamdani said. "They are critical to the health and wellness of nearly 900,000 children across our city. Whether it's a warm meal, essential mental health support, or a source of childcare for working parents, in-person schooling is a resource that our city's children — and families — depend on."
The United Federation of Teachers opposed the reopening. UFT President Michael Mulgrew acknowledged the difficult position many teachers were in, noting that a large number of them are also parents whose own children were in school districts that remained closed — leaving them with no childcare option.
"This was not a decision we agreed with, but we understood, I understood their point of view," Mulgrew said. "You know there are a lot of families. This is their only access to daycare for childcare, but teachers get upset when they hear these things cause we're not a babysitting service. We're an educational institution."
Mulgrew also told members the union would protect any teacher who chose to stay home. "If we feel it is not in the best interest of my family, then I don't go in," he said.
Transportation on Staten Island compounded the problem. The Staten Island Railway suspended service between Tottenville and Huguenot, with trains running north on an hourly schedule. MTA buses were seen stranded on snow-covered streets. Meanwhile, Tottenville High School alone had 180 faculty members unable to report.
City Council Minority Leader David Carr said the day should have been treated differently from the start. "Today should have been another snow day or a remote learning day," Carr said. "Everyone is having a hard time, but there are many teachers who can't make it in today as well as students."
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels confirmed the 63% citywide attendance figure. Around 75% of city schools had fewer than half their students show up. At least two schools — Concord High School in Staten Island and Research and Service High School in Brooklyn — reported attendance below 15%.
Public frustration was widespread before the school day even began. More than 169,000 New Yorkers signed an online Change.org petition urging the mayor to switch to remote learning, citing hazardous road conditions and limited transit access.
Council Speaker Julie Menin acknowledged the valid concerns raised. "I think moving forward — while it's always difficult in these storms as to what the right course of action is — having some kind of flexibility is very, very important for parents in these tough storms," she said.
The state's department of education issued a waiver covering Monday's snow day, meaning the city will not lose funding for missing that school day. The waiver was tied to Governor Kathy Hochul's emergency declaration issued before the storm. Schools may apply for additional waivers if needed.
Looking ahead, forecasters say another storm system could bring more snow to the tri-state area later this week.
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