De Blasio, Farina...what were you thinking?

I know! YOU WEREN'T!

The decision to keep New York City Public Schools open during a major Nor'easter was a bad call by both Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina. To add insult to injury Farina tried to defend her decision by issuing this statement:

“If people can go to work, then kids can to school,” she told ABC. “Many of our kids don’t get a hot lunch and, in many cases breakfast, unless they go to school. So it’s still a parent’s decision whether they send their kids to school or not. My decision is where the kids are safest and the most taken care of, and the answer to that is in schools.”

To which a parent replied:

“Madame Chancellor, Our public schools are not a day care center neither a soup kitchen for our children. Your decision to keep them open on those basis is ridiculous and outrageous. You care nothing for our children. AND HOW DARE YOU TREAT US LIKE A STARVING PEOPLE! LET IT BE KNOWN THAT WE DO NOT NEED YOUR SCHOOLS TO PUT A HOT MEAL ON OUR CHILDREN’S TABLE. YOU OWE US AN APOLOGY!!!”

Even Al Roker form the TODAY show took the mayor to task via twitter:

“I knew this am @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools would close schools. Talk about a bad prediction. Long range DiBlasio (sic) forecast: 1 term,” the “Today” show forecaster tweeted.

De Blasio shot back:

“I respect Al Roker a lot, watched him on TV for many many years,” de Blasio said. “It's a different thing to run a city than to give weather on TV.”

He also said the city isn’t making major decisions based off of Roker’s “Today” show forecast.

"I respect all the meteorologists out there, but the one I respect the most is called the National Weather Service," de Blasio said.

Roker shut him down:

“Mr. Mayor, I could never run NYC, but I know when it's time to keep kids home from school,” he tweeted.

I agree that schools should have been closed. It is not worth putting the lives of the children, staff and administration at risk. This was a very poor judgement call. I hope this new administration learns from this.





Parents Enraged as Schools Stay Open During Storm

Not only did Farina insult the parents of New York City school children when she stated that the only place they could get a good breakfast and a hot lunch was in school, but she also had this to say:

...My decision is where the kids are safest and the most taken care of, and the answer to that is in schools.”

So, I guess kids aren't safe in their own homes then? Should they then live in school where they will be assured not only a well balanced meal but overall safety?

Dumbass is right.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis also issued a statement critical of the decision.

"The City of New York got it wrong today," she said. "The decision by Chancellor Farina to keep all public schools open was misguided. The visibility and weather conditions are very poor and the safety of New York's students should be paramount when making a decision on school closures. Keeping schools open and expecting children to travel through heavy snow, sleet and ice at the same time the City is urging residents to stay off the road is nonsensical. Additionally, when making future decisions on school closures, the City should take into account the plight of the outer boroughs that have less transit options and many secondary and tertiary roads that take much longer to be plowed during a heavy snowfall as today's."

Yes. The first storm of the year after DeBlasio took office and that storm did not warrant a school closing. This one on the other hand did.

"My decision is where the kids are safest and the most taken care of, and the answer to that is in schools.”

For many kids, that is completely correct. She is a former teacher and principal so I'm sure she has seen thousands of kids who have been neglected and abused at homes. A lot of kids are not safe in their own homes due to violence, drug abuse, sexual abuse and lack of heat and or electricity. It's a valid statement.

The Mayor was right in keeping schools open today. The plows were ready, the salt was ready, and the sidewalks were cleared in record time. It stopped snowing hours ago. It's the Winter in the North East, it's going to be cold and windy. The parents should stop their whiny excuses, bundle your kids up (there are clothing drives all over this city if you cannot afford winter gear)and get out there. Kids love snow.

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Thank you! I grew up in Upstate New York, and schools were closed if we had four or five feet....maybe. Parents coddle their kids way too much down here, it's pretty sad. We all work, we all have to go to school. That's life. Apparently if they have even a couple more snow days it's going to cut into their Spring break. They would HATE that!

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And the fact that at least where I live, you can't get to a major roadway because of a foot of snow blocking the ramp, that totally screams everything is great and fine. I give Sutton Ross and dreaming full permission to come over to my house and try to drive my Ford Escort through that much unplowed snow. I think you will find that my car will probably get stuck and go nowhere fast.

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I know many of you will mock me as you usually do, but do you see the Communism in this statement? Government is better at taking care of your children than you are.

"My decision is where the kids are safest and the most taken care of, and the answer to that is in schools.”

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Marianne, we didn't get much snow, less than a foot. There was really no reason to close school. I do know that some parts of New Jersey got a lot more snow, and schools have been closed today.

Carlos, whenever there are multiple snow days, it cuts into their Spring Break and end of year schedule. That what's dreaming meant, I believe. You know, when it's nice out.

"I know many of you will mock me as you usually do, but do you see the Communism in this statement? Government is better at taking care of your children than you are"

Sigh. I'm not going to mock you, but I will ask you to click on this link where I volunteer and do some research. Sadly, many kids are not well taken care of by their parents. In some cases, it's the complete opposite.

http://www.newyorkcenterforchildren.org/

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I work at a school in Jersey City. We were closed. There are kids I work with who I know will only get one meal today. Hopefully.

Can we just refocus the conversation away from the students for a second? Because, see, there are these other people that should factor into the decision. They're adults...and they work at the schools: janitors, administrators, teachers. Many of whom do NOT live in the five boroughs and have to risk their own lives to get to school because de Blasio f*cked up. I could not imagine having to try that commute into New York City this morning.

27-year-olds, I mean 29-year-olds, who live on Upper Westside don't have to worry or think about that. It's easy for them to sit behind their computer screens and defend a decision that I find truly indefensible.

Where were you coming from, DRS?

So I just heard on TV that attendance today was 44% and that kids that did make it to school ended up watching movies or the Olympics on TV. And yet it counted as one instruction day - what a scam. And, Gothampc, that statement is not Communism - it's sheer stupidity. Liberals can say dumb things, just as conservatives can.