Clueless schools chancellor defends opening classrooms: ‘It’s a beautiful day out’

New York City schools chancellor Carmen Farina cluelessly brushed off angry parents at a press conference on Thursday saying, "It is absolutely a beautiful day out there right now."Photo: Splash News and AP

Schools chancellor Carmen Farina cluelessly defended the decision to keep schools open during Thursday’s lethal Nor’easter – incredibly saying “it’s a beautiful day out there,” during a morning news conference as snow and freezing rain fell at the same time outside.

“It has totally stopped snowing. It’s absolutely a beautiful day out there right now,” she said at a press conference in Brooklyn with Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also claimed they made the right call.

“There is the illusion you can have perfect information and perfect decisions,” De Blasio said. “We made the right decision.”

But their comments did little to mollify parents, teachers and students who took to social media to harshly criticize their decision to keep schools open.

“Why the public school system is open today in these conditions is astounding. Putting the lives of teachers, administrators, and most importantly, children, in danger by telling them to travel in this weather (many roads are still unplowed) is incomprehensible. Chancellor Farina and the DOE staff: you have some serious explaining to do,” said James Hong on the Department of Education’s Facebook page, which had hundreds of negative comments.

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Comment

As I read the chancellor's description of today being "a beautiful day out there..." I could not help but be reminded of  Mayor Bloomberg's suggestion during the Day After Christmas Blizzard of 2010 which dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the city that we could best spend our time enjoying that beautiful day  "...taking in a Broadway show or better yet, head to our local parks because  the city Parks Department is providing free, supervised sledding, snowman building contests, friendly snowball fights, music, winter walks, nature activities and hot chocolate for all Queens residents at Juniper Valley Park..."   

Sounded like fun but nobody could get out of their house let alone travel!