Gov. Cuomo echoed those concerns, warning commuters to stay home Monday in a statement made Sunday as the monstrous storm tracked an unfamiliar route across the Midwest.
“As a result, roads including the Thruway, I-84 and the Long Island Expressway, and public transit networks including the LIRR, PATH, Metro-North Railroad, and MTA subways and buses, may be closed ahead of the evening commute,” Cuomo announced Sunday night.
From the NYC OEM:
Based on expected storm, all after-school activities, PSAL, adult ed, field trips canceled on 1/26. Regents exams as scheduled.
— NYC OEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) January 25, 2015
Is Cuomo thinking about any of this?
I understand safety is a priority and I know he's still smarting from the mess on the Thruway when he didn't close roads in time, people got stuck in the snow for more than a day, and leveled their criticism at him.
But the weather reports have been quite clear - light snow during the day followed by heavy snow at night.
That's what the models were showing last night, that's what the forecast remains this morning - 1-3 inches of snow during the day, heavy snow later in the night.
If NYC schools are opened, then Regents exams are going to be given.
Students and staff will be expected to be in school - students to take the exams, teachers to proctor the exams.
The afternoon exams don't end until after 4 PM.
How does this work if Cuomo shuts down streets, highways and trains BEFORE the afternoon commute?
How does this work if the governor even suggests this might happen?
Seriously, is the governor thinking about any of this?
Is he coordinating with Mayor de Blasio and the NYCDOE?
I have to admit, I have students scheduled to take the ELA Regents exam at 12:45 PM, so I'm a little anxious about all of this.
I also have to admit that I'm made even more anxious by the fact that Governor Cuomo wants to fire me based on my Regents test scores, saying that he believes these are an "objective" measure of my teaching skill.
I've already covered the mess that is going to be the grading of these Regents exams - you can read that here.
Now Cuomo's making the mess worse by saying he's going to shut streets, highways and trains down BEFORE the evening commute even as the NYCDOE is opening schools and giving the Regents exams in both the morning and afternoon.
As an ELA teacher, I am also very concerned by these comments. Let's keep in mind that the exam starts at 1, but many students get time and a half, so they would not be out till 530. There are also some more severely disabled students that get double time or unlimited, which would put them getting around 7... Maybe his goal is to scare then into not coming then say it was the teachers fault.
ReplyDeleteHe's probably not even thinking about the Regents exams.
DeleteMore likely, he's thinking about what happened on the Thruway a few weeks ago when he didn't close it in time and people got stuck on it when he finally did close it.
Still, the side effect of these comments definitely will impact turnout today as well as scores.
Going to be a mess - not entirely of Cuomo's making, but certainly exacerbated by him.
Cuomo failed the bar exam 4 times almost as many as Joe Pesci in the movie My Cousin Vinny when Vin tells his client he failed the bar 6 times
ReplyDeleteRegents for some kids with IEPs get extended time on Regents exams-they have until about 5:30 if they get time extended 1.5 times. No one seems to take those kids and the teachers and other educational professionals who work with them into account. Cuomo doesn't think, he just does the bidding of his corporate masters
ReplyDelete