It was a bumpy first day back to school for the city\u2019s students after Monday\u2019s blizzard, with overall attendance at only 63% throughout the public school system.<\/p>\n
Many parents, educators and politicians, particularly in the outer boroughs, said getting to school was a huge hassle \u2014 if not downright impossible. The sidewalks were slippery and some crosswalks filled with snow. School buses and other vehicles were getting stuck in the slush. The C train was suspended<\/a>, making the morning commute even more of a mess.<\/p>\n “It’s a mess. It’s an absolute mess. 30 inches of snow fell on Staten Island. That’s not a routine weather event. That’s a historic storm, And you can’t call it a normal school day when 30 inches of snow just fell,” Councilmember Frank Morano said. “I’m convinced more than ever it was a monumental mistake to try to have in-person learning, at least on Staten Island, today.”<\/p>\n He said multiple schools in his district had only 15%-20% students show up. One school had just 200 students, out of 1,350. \u201cBus stops weren\u2019t shoveled, yellow buses didn\u2019t show up. \u2026 You had a special needs school in Great Kills that couldn\u2019t safely unload wheelchairs because snow was piled at the curb. This was crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n He called the decision to reopen Staten Island\u2019s schools \u201creckless.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Zohran Mamdani assured families that the roads would be clear by Tuesday in time for the return to school, after calling for a traditional snow day<\/a> off on Monday without remote learning. Educators in Manhattan and adjacent neighborhoods said they were managing, while challenges seemed more acute in far-flung corners of the city, like Eastern Queens, the North Bronx, South Brooklyn and Staten Island.<\/p>\n At a press conference on Tuesday, Mamdani said it was important to open schools because they serve purposes beyond just academics. \u201cWhen conditions are safe, our goal will always be to open our schools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Deborah Alexander, a Queens parent, said a substantial part of her daughter’s day at a high school in the Bronx was spent in the auditorium for a mass study hall due to teachers not showing up. Adding to the difficulty, students use computers to do their homework, which aren\u2019t available in the auditorium. The school phone ban means internet-enabled devices aren\u2019t as easy to come by as they once were.<\/p>\n Alexander was initially on board with schools being open \u201cwhere there are hot meals, socialization and \u2026 learning,\u201d but as it became clear her daughter was spending much of the day in the auditorium with little to do, she decided it probably wasn\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a poor excuse for an \u2018instructional day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Cardozo High School teacher Travis Malekpour said it was impossible to get from his home in Woodlawn in the Bronx to the school in Bayside, Queens, because his street was still covered in snow, and a truck was stuck.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the type of person who only calls out when I\u2019m really sick,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve made it to work through snowstorms and the horrible flooding we had in 2023. But I weighed the risks and decided it was better not to go in.\u201d<\/p>\n He said 93 Cardozo staffers were out. He heard the school was combining classes because of the absences.<\/p>\n \u201cI think remote learning with those who could use a device or phone with their actual teachers would have been more educational than what’s likely happening in most schools now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Not every school was facing an educational breakdown.<\/p>\n Kyle Brillante, principal of Highbridge Green School, a middle school in the Bronx, said a dozen staffers and about a quarter of students didn’t make it in, but all classes were covered after the school shifted personnel around a bit.<\/p>\n Brillante thanked his “phenomenal” custodial team and the rest of the staff.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m grateful for their incredible work,” he said. “I\u2019m also grateful for our staff who showed up to be present for our kids.”<\/p>\n Joanna Cohen, principal at P.S. 107 in Park Slope, said it helps that most of the elementary school kids live nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of our students are also in attendance, and we\u2019re having a full, joyful day of learning,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The teachers union reported widespread absences among staff and students.<\/p>\n More than 100 staffers and 50% of students were absent at Edward R. Murrow High School in Midwood, Brooklyn, according to the union. And at James Madison High School, 50 staff members were absent, while student attendance was under 60%, the union said.<\/p>\n The union also said access was a problem in a few spots. At one pre-K center in South Brooklyn staff had to carry many students, including one in leg braces, from the school bus to the building because the parking lot and streets had not been cleared, union officials said.<\/p>\n Parents said some of their yellow buses hadn\u2019t run because drivers were out or because their lots hadn\u2019t been cleared.<\/p>\n Many kitchen staffers also had trouble getting to schools.<\/p>\n