Following the recent snowstorm in New York City, the HS223 school community shared mixed reactions after Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared Monday, February 23, a DOE snow day. While many appreciated the break, the snow and ice left behind made commuting difficult on February 24, a day that was not given as a snow day.
“February 24 should have been a snow day. There was a whole pile of snow with icy sidewalks. I had to attempt gymnastics just to get here,” said Fernando Galvan (Class of 2026)
Fernando said that his 30 minute commute took over an hour and fifteen minutes on the morning of February 24.
“Neighbors were helping to clear walking paths but there were delays because of unsafe conditions,” said Fernando.
Many saw the extra day off as a relief since it allowed people to settle down after having a week off for February break.
“I was pretty relieved [about the snow day on Monday] but there should have been another day on Tuesday because the sidewalks were not fully cleared” said Michelle Montalvo (Class of 2026).
Michelle’s commute was made even more heinous due to the amount of dog poop that has been left in the piles of snow.
“It’s a dog poop crisis. The whole sidewalk was covered in poop. It makes me frustrated because I feel like I have to tippytoe around,” said Michelle.
Many agreed with Michelle.
“It is not fun walking around the poop. It is very immature,” said Quincy Wallace (Class of 2026).
The snow, which reach knee high after the blizzard, continued to frustrate students on their way to school on Tuesday.
“I stepped into a huge puddle of melted snow. There was black ice and I almost slipped. It twice as long to get to school,” said Milani Martinez-Zeron (Class of 2028).
Students also felt scared getting to school because of the unsafe conditions.
“It was scary getting to school. I slipped on the icy ground and was worried because the buses were crowded,” said Emilio Flores (Class of 2029).
Teachers within the HS223 school community experienced similar struggles.
“I was excited about the snow day because they are so rare, but many teachers had a hard time commuting. I had to clean my car off, get ch
ildcare, and drive on streets that were poorly cleared. I’m just tired of the snow,” said Ms. Monegro.
Commuting disruptions also hit teachers who take public transportation to work.
“My usual 15 minute commute was much more difficult. I had to let multiple crowded buses pass before I could get on one and I arrived later than I wanted to school,” said Mr. Khan.
And while HS223 students and teachers supported remote learning as a temporary option especially if there is another snow storm this year, the feelings about a regular school day on Tuesday were pretty clear from students and teachers alike.
“We should have had one more traditional snow day [on Tuesday] because everything that was true on Monday was also true on Tuesday: a dangerous commute and limited access to technology. We should have gotten the day,” said Ms. Drame.
