In the aftermath of one of the most severe snowstorms to hit New York City, Staten Island witnessed a dramatic drop in student attendance on Tuesday. Approximately 70% of students in the borough were absent from school, a stark contrast to the citywide absentee average of 36.8%, according to data from the city’s Department of Education.
Staten Island bore the brunt of the storm, with some areas buried under nearly 30 inches of snow. This deluge severely impacted public transportation and road clearance, contributing to the high absenteeism rate. The borough’s unique geography, with its steep hills and narrow streets, posed additional challenges to snow plows, exacerbating the situation.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s choice to keep schools open rather than pivot to remote learning sparked significant criticism. Many residents felt the decision overlooked the realities of Staten Island’s infrastructure, including the disruption of its sole rail line. This move was met with indignation from local leaders and residents who felt neglected.
Councilman Frank Morano, representing Staten Island, expressed his disapproval in colorful terms, likening the mayor’s decision to other historical blunders. “This is going to go down, along with new Coke and the decision to put hydrogen in the Hindenburg instead of helium, as one of the worst decisions in history,” Morano remarked.
Morano further criticized the administration’s failure to consider remote learning as a viable alternative for the day. “I just don’t understand how the mayor and [Schools] Chancellor [Kamar Samuelson] didn’t think this wasn’t a perfect day for remote learning — especially in our community, which had it much worse because we’re so car dependent,” he told The Post.
- A slew of snow banks blocking crosswalks, roads and many parking areas for school buses.
- Multiple schools reported 80–85% of students skipping classes.
- Special-needs schools like David Marquis School of the Arts in Great Kills were not able to safely unload students in wheelchairs from buses because of unplowed snow.
- Students at Myra S Barnes School Intermediate School 24, also in Great Kills, were briefly banished to the cafeteria because the power was out for two hours.
“I just don’t understand how the mayor and [Schools] Chancellor [Kamar Samuelson] didn’t think this wasn’t a perfect day for remote learning — especially in our community, which had it much worse because we’re so car dependent,” Morano told The Post.
Morano and Borough President Vito Fossella — already among a long-list of pols in NYC’s most conservative enclave who support Staten Island seceding from the Big Apple — said the socialist mayor’s decision to re-open schools shows the city’s “one-size-fits-all approach” doesn’t work.
The “city dropped the ball at the highest levels” by deciding not to go remote because it forced many teachers and parents living on Staten Island and in other mass-transit deserts to drive on icy roads when keeping them safely clear should have been a priority, Fossella said.
“We don’t have the luxury of jumping on the subway,” he noted.
Morano said he is in the process of drafting legislation that would give boroughs more autonomy so that “Tuesday’s disaster” never repeats itself, adding he also plans to ask a City Charter Revision Commission appointed by ex-Mayor Eric Adams to examine his plan later this year.
“There’s no reason Staten Island should have to live by the same rules as Manhattan and The Bronx,” he said. “If Staten Islanders saw their elected or appointed leaders actually have some control over day-to-day policies, I think there would be fewer people screaming for secession.”
Manhattan had a 29.8% student absentee rate Tuesday, followed by Queens at 34.2%, Brooklyn at 35.1%, and the Bronx at 36.4%. That’s also well above the norm, as only about 11% of the city’s nearly 900,000 public school students in grades 3-K to 12 are usually absent on an average school day.
The DOE declined requests to provide Tuesday’s attendance figures for teachers or to break down student attendance by school districts.
However, Mamdani this week said roughly 12,000 of the city’s 78,300 teachers, or 15% — called out, forcing the city to recruit 5,000 substitutes.
