Rockaway Battles Blizzard Remnants for School Day Commute

By Theresa Racine and Katie McFadden

The sudden blizzard on Sunday, February 22, once again brought significant snowfall to the Rockaways and surrounding areas, with totals reaching 20 inches locally.

As the snow fell on Sunday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a traditional snow day with schools closed on Monday, but many were surprised by his decision to open schools on Tuesday, instead of offering a remote schooling option. The decision quickly prompted a petition signed by more than 172,700 concerned parents, teachers and school staff. And several elected officials including local Councilwomen Joann Ariola and Selvena Brooks-Powers, condemned the decision and asked the administration to reconsider ahead of Tuesday’s opening, as the peninsula was experiencing rolling blackouts, many side streets hadn’t been plowed for hours, three Rockaway schools were being utilized as public warming centers, and most of Rockaway’s public transportation options from the A train to the Shuttle and the ferry were on modified schedules.

Councilwoman Ariola, along with the Republican delegation of the City Council, released a statement on Monday saying, “The decision to open schools for in-person learning tomorrow is hasty and misguided. Many outerborough neighborhoods have been disparately impacted by this storm and given the sheer volume of snow, need much more time and resources to make roads safe and passable. It is going to be impossible for many students to reach school and for parents to get to work by tomorrow morning, and as a result, there will be mass absenteeism. DOE must either keep schools closed or offer a remote option to the tens of thousands of students who will not be able to attend.”

Those concerns proved to be true for many as on Tuesday, only 63% of the city’s 900,000 public school students attended school, and 15% of the workforce was unable to make it. Meanwhile, many private schools in the area were still closed, public libraries were closed and even CUNY colleges were operating remotely on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Councilwoman Brooks-Powers reiterated that opening schools on Tuesday wasn’t the best choice. “Based on conditions in District 31 following the blizzard and the disruptions to much of our public transportation, I believed remote learning was the prudent choice for students and teachers across the City,” Councilwoman Brooks-Powers said. “An opinion I believe was more than supported, given only 63% of students showed up to class on Tuesday. The city must re-examine when and how we offer remote learning to support our students and teachers following extreme weather incidents. Given the immense amount of snow that fell across New York City, I applaud our sanitation workers for their incredible efforts, as well as the many neighbors who stepped up to help one another despite freezing temperatures.”

On Tuesday, Rockaway residents dealt with the reality of trying to navigate a challenging commute. On social media pages and around the neighborhood, The Rockaway Times asked for feedback on residents’ experiences.

Some parents decided it wasn’t worth chancing it. “My child stayed home,” Danielle Evans said. “The streets are not plowed well enough, and the sidewalks are horrendous.” Talisha Davis said, “My kids stayed home. It’s a mess still on a lot of the streets in the 90s.” Marci Hoffman added, “My daughter is special needs, and I kept her home. I didn’t feel safe for her to take the bus.”

Even buses faced obstacles on Tuesday. Local resident Raquel Delgado shared a photo of a school bus that got stuck on Beach 102nd Street during the morning commute, which required help from neighbors. “The side streets were not plowed, and school buses with kids on them were getting stuck,” Delgado said. “Thank God for a Good Samaritan who helped the bus driver dig out the snow from his tire.”

Some shared photos of their streets not being plowed as of 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. “They haven’t plowed Beach 97th Street at all,” Mayleen Burrell said. Some pointed out that this was a block that many use to access the Beach Channel Educational Campus. It wasn’t until after 1 p.m. that a plow came through after neighbors made attempts to shovel the road.

Some parents attempted to get their kids to school with no luck. “My son and I tried this morning. There was snow and ice everywhere. We waited for the bus for over an hour, and they kept driving past us because they were too packed. I decided to bring him back upstairs,” Margaret Bouderau said.

We also spoke with a few students who did make it to school. Two 12- and 13-year-old students shared they braved the icy conditions early in the morning to make it in time. One shared she was crying because she was afraid of falling, as the walk was treacherous with students having to opt to walk in the road, as some sidewalks weren’t shoveled. Other students said they didn’t mind having to go to school, but shared that the public buses were skipping some stops, leaving students waiting a long time for the next one.

Some parents said Mayor Mamdani should have considered a remote option for Tuesday, with many sharing that, despite the storm following a winter break, students had an opportunity to collect digital devices over the weekend. “I did not take my kids to school,” Jackie Dunn said. “They have their devices which the school made sure to stay open over the weekend to give out to students who did not have a device. If not, majority of students already have a device they can log on with.” Mary Beth Radday added, “Many schools sent messages to families about picking up devices from schools on Saturday or Sunday if they were needed. The chancellor allocated money for admin to be paid to go in and take care of it. Enough kids citywide could have signed on.”

In an explanation for keeping the schools open on Tuesday, Mamdani claimed “Public schools were not in a position to facilitate remote instruction” and that schools serve as a resource for childcare for some parents and a warm meal for children.

Schools in New York are required to provide 180 days of instruction. Failing to do so is punishable with a massive financial penalty. That threshold for the 2025-2026 school year became even tighter as three new holidays were added to the schedule, including Diwali, Lunar New Year and Eid al-Adha. For Monday’s school closure, Mamdani explained they were given a waiver by the state due to a declared State of Emergency.