As students returned to classrooms Tuesday, some officials were still questioning why the return to in-person learning occurred so suddenly — but the mayor stood by his decision. While discussing the city’s cleanup efforts following the blizzard that dumped 20 inches or more of snow on the fi ve boroughs, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said there were two primary reasons he felt kids should be in classrooms. “First, New York’s public schools were not in a position to facilitate remote instruction. With students coming back from midwinter break, it was not possible to ensure every student had the devices they needed to effectively participate in remote learning,” the mayor said. Storm Team 4 3 hours ago NYC has gotten almost twice as much snow as normal. We're not even close to the record Severe weather 16 hours ago Surprise! More snow is coming. How much will we get this time? See the map Weather Feb 23 Blizzard '26 among top 10 biggest snowstorms in Central Park history The other reason he said lessons were back in person went beyond the classroom. “Our public schools hold a purpose beyond providing a designated place for kids to learn. They are critical to the health and wellness of nearly 900,000 children across our city,” said Mamdani. “Whether it’s a warm meal, essential mental health support, or a source of child care for working parents—in-person schooling is a resource that our city’s children and families depend upon.” It came after officials on Staten Island, which saw some of the highest snow totals in the city, bashed Mamdani’s decision to bring students back to school so quickly after the storm. Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said “numerous roads are impassable” on Monday due to the snow that was still there. On Tuesday, Fossella said he had spoken to city officials about the issue and that more Sanitation Department personnel and equipment — more than double the previous number — would be assigned to Staten Island to help clean things up. “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,” Fossella said in a statement. “It seems the City is learning that one size does not indeed fit all. There is still much work to be done…we are beginning to chart a path forward to make sure that future storms are met with an adequate response.” Mamdani said DSNY brought in 210 extra people to Staten Island, bringing the Sanitation Department’s workforce to 500. The teacher’s union had also advised its members to exercise caution navigating the Tuesday morning commute, telling members to “make the decision that is best for you and your family tomorrow. Your safety comes first.” On Tuesday, more than a third of city students were absent. As for teachers, 12,000 of the 78,800 called out (about 15%), with 5,000 substitutes, according to the city. Of the 150,000 children that take school buses, there were only 78 complaints who access those buses, Mamdani said. And on the 8,000 city school bus routes, there were only 15 delays. ...read more read less