Kjtc1979

13 minutes ago, Brian5671 said:

that's what's funny-most businesses also have people commuting in from places far away do they close?  No.  Granted people can work remotely these days but in the past you were expected to get into the office unless it was truly awful/impassable.

I heard they had to walk to and from work and school during a blizzard.  Uphill. Both ways.

Seriously, with technology now allowing WFH and the fact that most of us are expected to be accessible outside work hours via mobile phone and email, it's silly not to play it safe and pivot to remote work for the day.

Educators know that half the kids are out on days that snow anyway and they'll get better work out of the kids if they're remote or, even better, if they make the day up later in the year.  Plus nobody gets hurt on school grounds and everybody avoids a dangerous commute, and the roads are lighter for emergency vehicles and snow removal.  

NYC DOE staff have been informed that tomorrow will be a remote learning day and schools will be closed.  Public announcement should be made before the close of the school day. 

16 minutes ago, weatherpruf said:

Were you around in 94? We ran out of days. Went to June 30th. Part of that was Whitman's decision to declare a state of emergency in NJ for....frigid temps ( talk about Murphy all you want, there is precedence here ). Schools heard that and closed for the WEEK. And what did her education secretary say? ( Leo Klagholz, who never worked in a public school ) " I heard the governor declare a state of emergency; I did not hear her say to close the schools." Private schools, of course, did not bother to make up all the days, but we did. I was in Elizabeth where they normally didn't close for snow.

I'm NYC based, and ran a school in Queens.  As a student, from K all the way through 12, school was only closed twice for inclement weather: Hurricane Gloria in 1986 and the Blizzard of 1996.  We got hit locally very badly by the 93 Noreaster, but schools were still open that day.  None of us from my area made it in.

The snow that we got once I became a teacher and then principal was on a completely different level than anything I saw growing up.  But NYC schools are under mayoral control, and who the mayor is made a big impact on whether or not we got a snow day.  DeBlasio was quick to close, while Bloomberg avoided it at all costs.  DeBlasio being a Brooklyn guy and Bloomberg a Manhattan guy might have a lot to do with that.  It's hard for Manhattan folks to imagine how hard it is to get around the other four boroughs during and after a bad snowstorm!

6 minutes ago, winterwx21 said:

It's crazy that schools are closed for wet pavement here. I remember when they used to wait until snow accumulated significantly on pavement before making the decision to close schools. It's ridiculous that they make the decision to close way ahead of time for what's expected to be just an advisory level event. Today they ended up closing for nothing. It's still only accumulating a little on old snow with nothing at all even on car tops. 

I was a school principal for ten years, and we had the authority to make the call to close on our own.  My rule of thumb was to close the day before if there was a credible threat.  The days of waiting until the snow is on the ground and accumulating depended heavily on their being a parent at home to pick up/watch the kids.  These days, parents need as much time as possible to know schools are closed, so they can make child care arrangements. 

State laws require X number of school days per year, so the students will just be in on another day this year.  It's always better to err on the side of caution and just make the day up later in the year.  Everyone's safe and you don't waste an instructional day on a half empty school building.

And for the record, I would've closed today for one simple reason: the risk of snow covering up ice patches and kids/staff/families getting hurt.  Ice is always the biggest threat around a school building, and so many children are brought to/from school by their grandparents. 

On 1/16/2024 at 6:41 PM, donsutherland1 said:

I hope you’re ok.

I'm fine, thanks! I landed perfectly flat on my back and didn't even bruise. 

31 minutes ago, jaquanweb said:

it was pretty great until the freezing rain came and coated everything i love snow shoveling but ice chipping is pain 

I slipped and slid down the stairs of the train station.  The ice is terrible everywhere.

We just got a Winter Storm Warning:

Quote

Issued by National Weather Service
New York City, NY
4:00 AM EST Sat, Feb 6, 2021

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM EST SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 7 inches.

* WHERE...Portions of northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut and southeast New York.

* WHEN...From 6 AM to 9 PM EST Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snowfall rates may exceed 1+ inches per hour for a period during the late morning and early afternoon.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

Check local Department of Transportation information services for the latest road conditions.

&&