As reporters continued to press Mayor de Blasio about why school was in session on this disgusting day, he started to get visibly frustrated. “Unlike some other cities, we don’t shut down in the face of some adversity,” he said. “There is the illusion you can have perfect information and perfect decisions.” He argued that as of last night, some estimates predicted as little as “two or three inches” of snow, when in actuality the National Weather Service was forecasting at least eight inches. “We made the right decision,” he insisted.
“It has totally stopped snowing. It’s absolutely a beautiful day out there right now,” added Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. Children and their parents did not agree: Attendance today was only about 45 percent, according to the Department of Education.
On a typical day, about 90 percent of kids go to school. In January, during one of the previous storms without a snow day, attendance hit a low of 47 percent. Today was worse.
And yet, citing functioning public transit and the imperative for learning, de Blasio wouldn’t budge before the numbers were released. “We have a huge number of parents, their kids getting to school means their children will have a good meal,” he said.
But maybe Al Roker had a point this time:
