"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. [Councilman Frank Morano on the decision to keep schools open]"
"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. [Councilman Frank Morano]"
"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. Multiple schools reported 80-85% of students skipping classes."
Following one of New York City's largest blizzards, Staten Island experienced the highest absentee rates among the five boroughs at 69.8%, nearly double the citywide average of 36.8%. Mayor Zohran Mamdani's decision to keep schools open rather than switch to remote learning sparked significant backlash. The borough faced unique challenges including a non-operational rail line, difficult-to-plow hilly and narrow roads, and snow-blocked crosswalks and bus stops. Multiple schools reported absentee rates of 80-85%, special-needs schools struggled to safely unload wheelchair-bound students, and at least one school experienced a two-hour power outage. Local officials, including Councilman Frank Morano and Borough President Vito Fossella, criticized the decision as particularly problematic for Staten Island's car-dependent community.
#school-closures-and-remote-learning #blizzard-response-and-emergency-management #staten-island-infrastructure-challenges #student-absenteeism-and-attendance
Read at New York Post
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]