Following one of the most severe snowstorms in New York City's recorded history, approximately 70% of Staten Island's public school students were absent on Tuesday. Data from the city's Department of Education indicated an absentee rate of 69.8% for the borough, significantly surpassing the citywide average of 36.8%.
The storm, which blanketed some neighborhoods in Staten Island with close to 30 inches of snow, made the borough the hardest hit in New York City. Despite these conditions, Mayor Zohran Mamdani opted to reopen schools rather than transition to remote learning—a decision that has since been met with sharp criticism from local officials and residents.
Councilman Frank Morano, a Republican representing Staten Island, vociferously condemned the mayor's decision, suggesting that it could be remembered as one of the city's all-time worst. He cited various operational challenges, including the suspension of Staten Island's sole rail line and the difficulty in clearing snow from the borough's narrow and hilly roads.
Unplowed snow created formidable barriers, blocking crosswalks, bus stops, and roadways. Some schools reported absentee rates between 80 and 85%. At the David Marquis School of the Arts in Great Kills, staff struggled to unload students in wheelchairs. Myra S. Barnes Intermediate School 24 experienced a power outage, causing students to be relocated to the cafeteria.
Borough President Vito Fossella joined the chorus of disapproval, criticizing the city's one-size-fits-all policy and pointing to Staten Island's limited public transportation options in contrast to other boroughs. Councilman Morano is now drafting legislation to provide boroughs more autonomy regarding school closures during severe weather events. He plans to seek a review of this proposal by a City Charter Revision Commission established under former Mayor Eric Adams.
Comparatively, other boroughs experienced lower absentee rates: Manhattan at 29.8%, Queens at 34.2%, Brooklyn at 35.1%, and the Bronx at 36.4%. Under typical conditions, around 11% of the city's nearly 900,000 public school students are absent on any given school day.
The storm also affected teacher attendance, with roughly 12,000 of the city's 78,300 teachers, or about 15%, calling out. This prompted the recruitment of approximately 5,000 substitute teachers. The Department of Education, however, declined to provide detailed attendance figures for teachers at a district level.
This situation has reignited debates over whether borough-specific conditions should influence decisions to close schools during major weather events. Social media platforms have become an arena for public opinion, with tweets comparing the decision to corporate blunders of the past, underscoring the weight of public sentiment on the matter.
