New York City has seen two snowstorms in the first two months of the year. In both instances, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has had to make the decision of whether to give students a snow day. 

On Feb. 22, NYC was hit with a blizzard that delivered up to 29 inches of snow. Mamdani issued a travel ban for all non-essential vehicles beginning at 9 p.m. on Feb. 22 until 12 p.m. on Feb. 23 due to the dangerous conditions of the storm. 

The lifting of the travel ban came with an announcement for NYC schools to hold in-person classes on Feb. 24. This decision came after CUNY announced its colleges and offices would be operating remotely. 

CUNY made the right decision to hold classes remotely on both Feb. 23 and Feb. 24, while NYC public school students should not have had to attend in-person classes on Feb. 24. 

Snow response differed greatly based on the borough. Staten Island received the brunt of the snowfall, with the Grasmere neighborhood recording nearly 30 inches of snow. 

Many teachers, parents and students had a difficult time getting to school, resulting in a sharp decline in student attendance. 

According to NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, 63% of students citywide returned to school on Feb. 24. 

Around 12,000 teachers called out, according to Mamdani and the chancellor. A normal attendance rate from the last school year was about 89%.

Mamdani gave students a traditional snow day because not all students would have access to a device for remote learning; students were off on midwinter break just a week prior to the blizzard. 

Schools should make sure all students have access to devices throughout the school year, not just before emergencies. 

Allowing students to be remote would have increased attendance and made it so less people had to travel on unplowed roads and sidewalks. 

The city should have ensured that every borough was prepared to handle the aftermath of the blizzard to ensure that streets and sidewalks were clear before deciding to hold in-person learning. 

With the weather making travel conditions inconvenient and dangerous, Mamdani should have opted to make NYC schools hold classes remotely instead of in-person.