NYC Public School students back in class as Staten Island struggles to dig out
New York City Public School students returned to in-person classes Tuesday morning following Monday's historic blizzard.
Mamdani announced his decision Monday afternoon, and was asked almost immediately by several officials - especially those on Staten Island - to reconsider. The borough was pummeled with up to two feet of snow in the historic blizzard.
Some Staten Island streets remain unplowed
In Westerleigh, some streets were still clogged with thick, heavy snow Tuesday, and hadn't been plowed in more than 24 hours, according to New York City's plow tracker.
"Nobody can move. A firetruck can't get down here, ambulance, nothing. Nobody can move. Nobody can go to work. We've got teachers here, we've got police officers here. Nobody can move," one resident said.
Officials said they were stepping up efforts on Staten Island by bringing in "hundreds of pieces of equipment" and personnel to help with the dig out there.
Snow melters will also be deployed to each borough.
Mamdani cited the 28-30 inches of snow that fell, and pointed to the narrow streets on Staten Island as factors complicating the cleanup.
"Unfortunately, the terrain and geography of New York City is unique in every way," DSNY Interim Commissioner Javier Lojan said. "Narrow streets and hill blocks just make it so much [more] difficult."
Lojan said he's brought in emergency private contractors to help and extra personnel.
"We have hundreds of hired equipment, so we have our own resources, as you know, and then we have emergency contractor if we bring in to supplement that," he said. "I'm bringing all that in tonight. It's my goal to get these residents the service they deserve."
In a statement, Borough President Vito Fossella said, in part, "Ultimately, our voices were heard, and as a result, the City will be assigning more than double the number of Sanitation personnel and vehicles here to get things back to normal. And beyond that, the City has agreed to meet with us in the future to identify where things could have gone better these past two storms and strategize on how to best prepare and respond to storms in the future."
He added, "We are beginning to chart a path forward to make sure that future storms are met with an adequate response."
According to Mamdani, 99.2% of roadways on Staten Island received at least one pass from snow clearing equipment.
Residents take snow removal into their own hands
Tuesday night, neighbors in Sunnyside stepped in with snowblowers to clear streets that hadn't yet been touched by plows.
"We've been doing the street and the sidewalks since yesterday," resident Jerrier Atassi said.
"We're a little bit concerned. Usually we're used to seeing the sanitation trucks here once every couple of hours," resident Rodel Delvelosreyes said. "This time, nobody came."
"We love sanitation. They're New York's strongest," Atassi said. "They're overwhelming. We're contributing. We're patriots on this block."
Residents on Elm Place, where more than a foot of snow was untouched, said sanitation trucks were unable to navigate the tight roadway, where parked cars and heavy snow narrowed the path even further.
"It's kind of concerning that they've just kind of forgot about us, but at the same time, I'm sure that they prioritize other streets that people need to get to, like, main locations of things," resident Jonathan V. said.
On Alpine Court, a plow got stuck and needed a tow. Resident Matthew Durazzo wasn't surprised.
"It happens every year ... Tough turn to make," he said.
Rare snow day Monday
Monday was a rare, traditional snow day, the first of its kind in years. It was only made possible because New York state granted the city a waiver. By law, the city is required to provide 180 days of classroom instruction per year, and with all the holidays built into the school calendar already, there's not room to take a typical day off without that state waiver, Mamdani previously said.
Officials had also expressed concern about remote learning, saying kids had just had a week off, and many might not have been given the necessary equipment for a remote day in advance.
"As students returned from mid-winter break, it became clear we would not be able to get every student what they needed to participate in remote learning," Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said.
A spokesperson defended the decision to reopen schools Tuesday, saying they are "critical to the stability, health, and wellness of nearly 900,000 young New Yorkers," and cited the meal service, mental health support and child care - along with the education - schools provide.
The mayor again invited upset schoolkids to throw snowballs at him.
"This morning I started my day at PS 29 on Staten Island," Samuels said. "I am proud we were able to reopen our schools this morning."
Samuels said 63% of students citywide returned to school Tuesday. The mayor and schools chancellor said about 12,000 teachers called out.
Some Staten Islanders struggle to get to school
Dropoffs were sparse at P.S. 18 in Port Richmond on Staten Island Tuesday morning. For some families and teachers, Tuesday's return to school felt like a quick turnaround.
Mamdani said DSNY would deploy extra resources to clear the roads on Staten Island, but some families, teachers and staff found it to be a challenging commute.
"A lot of streets not even cleaned, especially on that corner, people are slipping," one crossing guard said.
"We almost tripped, like, five times. It's just too much," parent Eric Vivianni said.
"We could've gone remote. Why not? We have the system ready to go," a paraprofessional said.
Some 170,000 people signed a petition calling for remote learning Tuesday.
"One more day would've given everyone a chance to clean up and prepare," one person said.
UFT stands with teachers who stayed home
United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew came out in support of teachers who decided to call out.
"This is the decision about us and our families. If we feel it is not in the best interest of my family, then I don't go in. And that's a decision everybody has to make, and don't worry from that point, because the union will make sure that you are protected and no discipline will come to you because of that," Mulgrew said.
Mulgrew said he was expecting low attendance from both students and educators Tuesday. The UFT president said there needs to be a better plan going forward.
"We have to move towards the school system has to always prepare to go to remote," Mulgrew said.
Davika Dalloo kept her 4-year-old daughter, Amelia, home, saying the ice and snow on sidewalks in Richmond Hill, Queens, won the morning commute battle.
"The sides of the roads, like where you have to cross, it's not shoveled. So we have to maneuver our way across. She's getting wet from, like, her knee down," Dalloo said.
She added, "I don't want her to miss out more in school. It's her first year. She's in pre-K. I want her to be able to go out there and interact with her friends."