NYCDOE District And Field Offices Are Opened Tomorrow Despite Impending Blizzard And Travel Ban (UPDATED - 7:55 PM)

So Governor Cuomo is instituting a travel ban starting tonight at 11 PM - all roads, bridges, tunnels will be closed to all but essential personnel and all mass transit will be shut down.

Tomorrow everybody is to safe at home except for emergency personnel like police, fireman, EMT's and NYCDOE employees assigned to district and field offices.

The UFT is not amused:

The UFT staff directors are sending the following email to UFT members who work in district and field offices:

Dear Colleagues,

The Department of Education has decided to close schools tomorrow, but has told central and field offices that they must remain open. The UFT vehemently disagrees with the DOE’s decision, and we are actively working on getting the city to reconsider.

The DOE’s longstanding policy, which we continue to fight, is as follows:

“Unless the Chancellor instructs otherwise, all central offices, and the offices of District 75 and 79 must remain open for regular hours on days when schools are authorized by the Chancellor to close or open late due to citywide emergency conditions or major stormy weather as staff must be in a position to provide essential information to parents and others.”

We wanted you to have accurate information as you make decisions tomorrow morning. We urge you to exercise caution about traveling into work.

Sincerely,

LeRoy Barr & Ellie Engler
Staff Directors

I understand the need to get essential information out to parents, but I guess I just wonder, if the roads, bridges, tunnels and mass transit are all shut down tomorrow, how exactly does one get to a district or field office to dispense that essential information?

UPDATED - 7:55 PM: Even Cuomo's giving non-essential state employees a snow day tomorrow:

State offices in NYC, Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, Ulster & Westchester Counties will be closed on Tuesday, Jan 27.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 27, 2015

NYC Schools Closed Tuesday, 1/27 Regents Exams Re-Scheduled For Thursday 1/29

Straight from the DOE:

Schools will be closed on Tuesday, January 27. Given the snow day, Regents exams will be rescheduled to Thursday. The subjects impacted are:

• Global History and Geography 
• Integrated Algebra
• Comprehensive Testing in Writing (special education)
• Comprehensive in Mathematics (special education) 

I'm glad they're re-scheduling the exams rather than just cancelling them, but I would worry a little bit about the grading of these exams.

For that story, please see here.

Isn't there a better way to evaluate students, teachers and schools then a one day test given and graded during a week impacted by a blizzard?

NYC Schools WILL Be Opened On Monday 1/26, Regents Exams WILL Be Given

The latest on the impending inclement weather and it's impact on NYC schools:

Mayor @BilldeBlasio: Schools are open tomorrow, but after school activities canceled. Schools most likely closed Tuesday.
— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) January 25, 2015

This sounds like the right call to me.

Light snow is expected tomorrow during daylight hours, the heavy snow isn't expected to start until the nighttime.

We'll see if the storm plays out as the models are predicting.

But for now, school is on for Monday 1/26 and the Regents exams WILL be given.

What Happens To Regents Exams And Regents Grading If There's A Blizzard This Week?

UPDATE - 11:00 AM:: Getting a lot of hits on this post, with people looking for information on this afternoon's English Regents exam.

The exam WILL be given this afternoon AS SCHEDULED.

Only 1-3 inches of snow are expected to fall during the day today.

Right now, there are only flurries falling in Manhattan and there has been no noticeable accumulation of snow.

So, to repeat:

This afternoon's English Regents exam WILL be given AS SCHEDULED.

Stay tuned to your favorite news outlet for what happens tomorrow and Wednesday.



Original Post

Here's the forecast for Monday-Wednesday:

Lucky us, it's high stakes Regents exam week here in NY State, so this forecast, if accurate, is going to cause major disruptions for students and teachers.

The likelihood is that the Regents exams on Tuesday 1/27 will be cancelled due to snow, the exams scheduled for Monday 1/26 will go on as scheduled, though with snow already expected to be falling, with a diminished student turnout.  Hard to say what happens Wednesday 1/28, but there's the potential for impacts that day as well.

In any case, there looks like there will be major disruptions to the testing schedule regardless and this will have major consequences on both students and teachers.

Students who have spent time preparing for the ELA exam, the Global History exam, the U.S. History exam, Integrated Algebra exam - they're all looking at major snow impact this week.

I'm an ELA teacher and have been preparing my students for the ELA exam.

Chances are, the ELA Regents exam will go off as scheduled, since it's set for 12:45 PM tomorrow before the major snow onslaught.

There will be fewer students at the test, however, despite the brunt of the storm not expected until nighttime.

Some students will hear "Blizzard Warnings" on the TV and stay home, thinking that the test has been cancelled or that they'll cancel it for themselves since the weather's supposed to be so bad.

Nonetheless, we'll probably have a decent turnout tomorrow (especially because ELA teachers warned students that unless they hear from Mayor de Blasio that school is cancelled, they MUST come for the test), with just a few students staying home due to the weather.

Global History and Integrated Algebra teachers, however, are looking at a cancelled test on Tuesday and there may still be impacts to the schedule on Wednesday for the US History exam.

What does this mean for teachers whose evaluations are based on these tests?

Well, at the best of times, the grading of Regents exams are problematic.

Because teachers no longer grade exams in their own schools, the tests have to be delivered to grading centers around the city where teachers grade them both during the workday and for per session money after school hours.

I've graded exams the past few years both during the workday and for per session.

The ELA grading is usually pretty good because the test comes early in the Regents schedule and there's plenty of time for grading.

Global and US History Regents exams are often graded under duress, however, because they come slightly later in the schedule and there's a lot going on during the grading.

Last year, I saw a "Hurry Up" offense on the Global and US History Regents at the testing center that  forced teachers to run through stacks of tests as late as the night before the last day of school.

The grades were literally due the next day and some were for students who were supposed to graduate and needed the US History Regents score beforehand.

The teachers and the administrative staff at the center did the best job they could, under trying circumstances, to run through the grading as quickly as they could, but let's face it, that kind of "Hurry Up" on the grading CANNOT be good for accuracy.

So again, at the best of times, some of the Regents grading can be, er, shoddy.

Now let's add a major snowstorm to the mix - tests that still go off on Monday will have to be graded by the end of the week before the start of the new semester next week.

The ELA tests will be finished by Monday, they're scheduled to be picked up on Tuesday, delivered to the testing centers where teachers will arrive on Wednesday and work through the week grading them.

If the weather report is right, Tuesday's going to be a mess, there will be no picking up of exams and delivering them anywhere, and Wednesday may still be a bit of a mess, so while I would think schools will be opened then, I'm skeptical things will be back to normal.

That means the ELA exams won't get a serious day of grading until Thursday - leaving just two days of workday grading for the exams and four days of per session grading after school hours.

I guarantee you grading of the ELA exam will be done in a "Hurry Up" offense, with a lot of pressure placed on teachers and administrators to get the tests graded and the scores out to schools so they can get their Spring Semesters set.

That's the impact the storm may have on ELA.

The rest of the testing subjects?

If the storm is as bad as the map shows, God help them.

Given the importance of these tests to students (who cannot graduate without passing them and cannot get into a CUNY four year college without hitting the college readiness marks on the ELA and math tests), given the emphasis that is now put on test scores for teacher evaluations, with Governor Cuomo looking to make the scores count for 50% of a teacher's rating, is this the best way to handle Regents exam grading?

The governor and his education reformers like to make believe these test scores are sacrosanct, as if they've been delivered from the mount by Moses himself, that they are "objective" measures of student performance (and thus, teaching skill.)

The truth is, they are subjectively graded by teachers often under the duress of time constraints and long grading hours - that's at the best of times.

Throw in a major disruption like a potential blizzard and what you have is a chaotic mess that will result in scores that aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

A Question For Governor Cuomo About My Teacher Evaluation Rating

Let's say I've been getting my students ready for a Regents test next week, doing the usual job I do to have them knowledgeable about the material that will be tested and skilled to carry out the test tasks, and then a major snowstorm hits on the test day.

Let's say school isn't cancelled because Chancellor Farina thinks it's a beautiful day but 60% of my students stay home from the test because the snow is deep enough for them to, in former Mayor Bloomberg's immortal Boxer Day Blizzard words, "Take in a show."

Will this kind of snow event be taken into account when my VAM is being calculated by the geniuses at NYSED and they see 60% of my students didn't show up for the test or should I start making plans now for my next career in fast food or as a Walmart greeter?

Because the weather is starting to sound like it's going to be a tad unsettled next week and some unlucky students and unlucky teachers may have a major snowstorm cause major headaches on the very day there's a major Regents exam that has major consequences for both.

If we're going to make test scores the be-all and end-all of everything, you can see how something like a snowstorm cancelling school (as happened some years ago with the US History Regents) or just causing some students to stay home could create a huge mess for teachers linked to student test scores.

I mean, you can see that, can't you, Governor?

Or is a major snowstorm the fault of "bad teachers" too?

Going To Be A Beautiful Day Tomorrow

Two days ago, models were showing a potential 6-12 inch snow storm (with possibility for more.)

Today the radar is showing perhaps a couple of inches of snow heading our way while the mid Atlantic states get the heaviest amounts.

Lee Goldberg, who warned of a 12+ storm potential a couple of nights ago, says we should expect 1-3 inches.

Frankly, I'm snowed out, so I either wanted a snowmaggedon so bad that even Macy's was going to have to close (thus ensuring NYC schools would be closed too) or little to no snow at all.

Looks like we're getting little to no snow at all.

Here's hoping this is the last of it this winter.

I'm ready for spring.

Chancellor Farina May Get Another Beautiful Day

There is the possibility of a major storm early next week that could make for an interesting school day on Monday.

Here's the National Weather Service from this morning:

from upton...MODELS HAVE COME IN BETTER AGREEMENT ON A POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT
STORM WHICH SHOULD IMPACT THE AREA FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
NIGHT. THE ECMWF HAS TRENDED FARTHER OFFSHORE WITH ITS SURFACE
LOW...AND ALSO TOWARDS A COLDER LOW LEVEL THERMAL PROFILE...MORE IN
LINE WITH THE CMC AND GFS. THERE IS NOW A GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT
THE SURFACE LOW WILL PASS NEAR THE 40N/70W BENCHMARK LATE MONDAY.

AS A RESULT...HAVE TRENDED THE FORECAST TOWARDS THE COLDER CMC/GFS
SOLUTIONS. ALSO...GIVEN THAT THE STORM IS 4-5 DAYS AWAY...HAVE KEPT
P-TYPES SIMPLE - RAIN...SNOW...OR RAIN AND SNOW AS TOO MUCH COULD
CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE STORM TO TRY TO PINPOINT
WHERE AND WHEN SLEET AND POSSIBLY EVEN FREEZING RAIN COULD COME
INTO PLAY. NOTING THAT THE ECMWF IS PLAYING CATCH UP TO THE GFS AND
CMC WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE ARCTIC HIGH BUILDING DOWN INTO THE
PLAINS AND EXTENDING EASTWARD INTO THE NE AHEAD OF THIS
SYSTEM...BELIEVE THE ECMWF HAS TOO MUCH LOW LEVEL WARM AIR AT THE
START...SO EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO DEVELOP SUNDAY NIGHT MAINLY AS
ALL SNOW...EXCEPT FOR POSSIBLY A MIX WITH RAIN RIGHT AS IT STARTS
SUNDAY EVENING. SNOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH
MONDAY...POSSIBLY MIXING WITH RAIN ALONG THE S FORK OF LONG ISLAND
MONDAY AFTERNOON...THEN TAPER OFF FROM W TO E MONDAY NIGHT. IF THERE
WHERE TO BE ANY MIXING IN OF SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN...THIS WOULD
MOST LIKELY OCCUR DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY...DEPENDING UPON EXACTLY
HOW FAR N THE LOW LEVEL WARM TONGUE GETS.

EVEN WITH ALL THE UNCERTAINTY THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACROSS MOST IF NOT ALL THE CWA FROM SUNDAY
NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AND WILL HIGHLIGHT THIS THREAT IN THE
HWO. DEPENDING ON THE EXACT STRENGTH AND POSITION OF THE HIGH AND
LOW...THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR GUSTY WINDS WITH THIS STORM.
AT THIS TIME...THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE WINDS WILL LIKELY BE BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS 

Chancellor Farina may get a re-do on the snow call she made a few weeks ago, when she kept schools opened as a foot of snow fell from rush hour on.

It's weather forecasting, so who the hell knows if this will play out the way Upton thinks or if it will all fall apart and we truly will have a beautiful day on Monday, but it is something to keep an eye on, that's for sure.

A Failed Test By De Blasio And Farina

I want to note before I start quoting meteorologist Craig Allen and weather personality Al Roker that I "first-guessed" the decision to leave NYC schools open last night when it was announced.

You can see that post at this link, but here is some of what I wrote:

Why would Farina announce schools are opened tomorrow so early tonight before the storm hits, even as both Nick Gregory of FOX and Lee Goldberg of WABC are talking about raising their snow totals for tomorrow?

Makes no sense to me.

We'll see what stuff looks like in the morning, but they may come back to regret calling tomorrow an open school day this early.

And:

This could turn out very badly for Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Farina.

With the storm not hitting until after midnight and with the heaviest snows expected right before and perhaps during the morning rush hour, they should have waited until 4 AM to make the call on whether schools were opened or not.

I'm heading off to bed now, and maybe when I wake up in the morning, Farina will be right and all will be swell for the morning commute.

But I've been watching the forecasts and models pretty closely, and unless Farina and de Blasio know something I don't know, there's a lot of uncertainty about the storm that has the locals mets upping their totals just as the storm is hitting that makes me think this early an open school call is foolish.

Farina and de Blasio are under attack today for the awful decision to make the open school call last night before the storm even hit - and not just from me.

Here's Craig Allen on Facebook at 8:30 AM this morning:

I cannot stress enough, if you feel you have to go to work, DO NOT leave now. Snow will be falling at rates of 1-3" per hour for rest of the morning. Late morning/afternoon mix and change should help a little. But for now, it will rapidly deteriorate into a very hazardous condition.

Horrible lack of foresight, thought and caring by NYC Schools to have kids, buses and teachers first going out now. You may have seen 1" at 5am but everyone said the worst would come just as the morning commute was beginning. Terrible decision for anyone forcing their employees to hit the road now.

6-10" by lunchtime when it should lighten up and likely mix or change; not that sleet or freezing rain is any better but it won't be as intense through mid afternoon. Hopefully this helps the evening commute home for those who did have to go out. Beware the new burst of snow likely tonight!

I'm not saying this storm will bring the City to a crippling standstill based on the latest data. I can understand their initial reluctance to do so b/c they didn't see snow on the ground. NYC politicos have never trusted meteorologists or forecasts- but we're excellent scapegoats. That's the way it's always been. And I'm shaking my head at the reason for this decision; hardly worthy of the diminished safety.

She made the decision last night before the first flake fell! She didn't even wait to see if we were going to be correct. Absolutely no conception of what the forecast was saying and that my friends is a problem all forecasters are up against.

Here was Al Roker today:

“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. 

“Why are schools all around NYC closed? It's going to take some kid or kids getting hurt before this goofball policy gets changed,” Roker tweeted.

Here was Gothamist today:

The snow is literally ricocheting off of anything foolish enough to cross its path, which today apparently includes the tender faces of children forced to endure the torrential flakes as they claw their way to Kindergarten. See that lump by the curb? Is it a fire hydrant, or is it Erin from Ms. Meldishrew's art class? There's no time to find out; she's in God's hands now.

The DOE is hanging tough on its decision that schools are open today, even though field trips have been cancelled, which is really just the shittiest—not only are children deprived their long-awaited trip to the Natural History Museum or Craft Day at the Tombs, they have to trek through piles of white tar to do—what? Problem sets? In the best case scenario, exhausted teachers, weary from their own taxing commutes, will pop in a movie, which raises other problems: We could just be doing this at home, where the pajamas and the grilled cheese are.

And parents the city over were angry and hostile toward the mayor and his schools chancellor:

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Farina defended the city’s decision to keep schools open.

“The reality is that we make decisions based on what we know at the time,” she said. “Because this storm was so unpredictable, and what we heard last night is not necessarily what we saw this morning.”

She added it had “totally stopped snowing” and has turned into “an absolutely a beautiful day out there right now.”

Some viewers were shocked by her comment and expressed their strong opinions on CBS New York’s Facebook page:

Paige Katherine: It is a beautiful day if you are a penguin or a polar bear. I wonder which one Ms. Farina is……

Jc VanderPutten: I think I want to smoke whatever she is smoking. Does she realize what a complete fool she looks like for making that statement. There are cars stuck on parkways. People stuck on trains. Car accidents everywhere. But she thinks it’s a beautiful day! Idiot.

Vera Swensen: No wonder Be Blasio picked Carmen Farina as Chancellor.. She’s an Idiot just like him!!

De Blasio defended the decision to keep schools opened, saying it was a "grey area" and he had to make the call with the best information he had at the time.

I dunno what information he was looking at, but the information that was available last night was that the city would be getting 8-12 inches of snow, that the heaviest part of the snow would be in the morning hours and the morning commute would be very, very bad.

While I can understand the reluctance to close schools, at the very least the decision should have been made in the morning rather than arbitrarily the night before.

And as Craig Allen noted in his FB post, try consulting a decent meteorologist before making the call, try looking at the radar before making the call, try looking at the forecast models before making the call.

There are some decent weather people in this city who make good calls, who don't hype the weather and name their freaking storms and sell FEAR, FEAR, FEAR at every drop of rain or falling flake.

Craig Allen of WCBS 880 is one of those.

So is Nick Gregory of FOX 5.

And Lee Goldberg of WABC 7.

Both Goldberg and Gregory raised their snow totals last night, Goldberg calling for as much as 10 inches in the city, Gregory upping his totals to 9-12.

Craig Allen said at 5:00 AM this morning that the commute was going to be a bad one, told listeners not to be a "hero" and to exercise caution before going into work.  He said on both his FB page and on the air that if people felt the need to go in, they should wait until later this afternoon when the snow stopped before attempting that commute.

But Farina and de Blasio apparently made the decision last night, stuck with it and defended that decision all day today with idiotic statements worthy of Cathie Black (Farina: "It has totally stopped snowing..." and turned into “an absolutely a beautiful day out there right now..." or "Parents have to go to work. You didn't hear of any businesses in the city of New York closed down. Macy's was open. So if people can go shopping and go to work, then kids can go to school..." - statements that have made her the laughing stock of the Internet, along with her boss Bill de Blasio.)

This was an epic fail by de Blasio and Farina, one worthy of Bloomberg and Walcott, except if Bloomberg and Walcott had made this same decision that Farina and de Blasio made today, the few people out there defending Farina and de Blasio would have gone apoplectic over the call to keep schools opened.

I guarantee you, the mayor's honeymoon just went into the sewer, along with a ton of melting snow and ice, after his handling of this storm.

The lack of details in his announced budget yesterday, the calling to get his pal out of jail, his inability to get anywhere on time or make all the appointments to his administration - these are worrisome signs of a politician in over his head (or in the case of the reverend call, a politician with bad judgment.)

But the way de Blasio and Farina handled this school call - making the decision the night before, failing to revisit that decision the next morning, then defending that decision with some of the stupidest statements this side of Cathie Black - has me writing something I never thought I would write:

Al Roker is right:

I knew this am @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools would close schools. Talk about a bad prediction. Long range DiBlasio forecast: 1 term
— Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014

One term indeed. 

To Go Or Not To Go?

The National Weather Service raised the forecast of snow totals to 8-12 inches for the city late this afternoon, but those totals are supposed to come in two waves - heavy overnight snow that leaves 4-8 inches in the city, then turning over to rain (or even a dry slot for a while), then back to snow again in the evening for another 4 inches or so.

When I heard the 8-12 inches forecast, I figured even the NYCDOE would have to close schools for a snow day.

But now that I hear the totals are broken up in two waves, I think there is a pretty good chance there will be school tomorrow.

Few students will be there, of course, and nothing much will get done - but babysitting services will be open nonetheless.

I have a fairly straightforward commute, so I expect barring a total meltdown on the PATH, I'll be in work.

How about the rest of you out there - especially those of you who drive.

If there's school tomorrow, will you be heading in?

What Are The Chances Of A Snow Day?

It is sounding like it is going to be a mess tomorrow - 6-10 inches of snow, starting around midnight and continuing heavily through the rush hour, then transitioning into sleet for the afternoon before turning back to snow in the evening.

The timing of this leads me to believe that there is a chance even NYC schools will be closed tomorrow.

Of course every other school in the region other than Eva Moskowitz's charter school factories will be closed tomorrow.

But that never guarantees NYC schools are closed, does it?

Of course the models can still change before all is said and done.

They have shifted a bit since the storm first showed up a few days ago, with the tracking moving first east (meaning more snow for the city), then west (meaning more rain after the changeover.)

Also there was apparently some warming of the models, particularly the Euro, that had people thinking there would be less snow and more rain overall.

But as of 7:30 AM, the news stations are calling for 6-10 inches of snow coming down in between an afternoon of sleet and rain that will definitely make tomorrow not such a great day to be out on the roads.

So, what do you think out there?

Will we have another one of those days where the governor calls a state of emergency and tells people to stay off the roads, the mayor tells people to stay home if possible because travel is so hazardous, but NYC school are opened anyway?

Or will there be a snow day tomorrow (called, as usual, at the break of dawn)?

Wednesday Weather Round-Up

Tomorrow sounds like an eventful day:

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW YORK HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND ICE...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* LOCATIONS...SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT...NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY.

* HAZARD TYPES...MAINLY SNOW ALONG WITH SOME SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN.

* ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES...ALONG WITH AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE.

* VISIBILITIES...ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF MILE.

* TIMING...SNOW LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...MIXING WITH AND CHANGING TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN LATER WEDNESDAY.

* IMPACTS...SNOW AND ICE ON ROADS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

The ice is something to watch here.

There's no way school will be called for this storm - there is another storm on the horizon for Sunday/Monday (with a potential for a lot of snow) and this one is "only" supposed to drop 4-8 on the area.

Of course if that 4-8 is followed by freezing rain that makes a lot of surfaces around the region into hockey ice, that will make for a very scary commute for those on the roads - especially for people coming from Long Island.

And I would imagine attendance will be impacted once again.

We'll see...

Three Snow Events For The Week

We're supposed to get some snow tonight into tomorrow, perhaps as much as four inches before it's done.

There's another storm on tap for Wednesday that could be a snow/ice/frozen rain event, making for hazardous travel, downed powerlines and overall misery around the region.

And models are showing a significant storm for next weekend, perhaps Sunday into Monday, though with that time frame so far out, a lot could change before then.

Still, looks like we're in for a very eventful weather week - just as we've had a very eventful winter overall.

Dunno about you, but I'm ready for spring.

The older I get, the more I understand flying south for the winter.

Although these days, I guess that's no guarantee of an ice-free existence either.

NYC Schools Are Opened

New York City schools are opened this morning.

It remains to be seen how many students actually come to school.

Or how many teachers - especially the ones who live on Long Island.

But the world's largest day care center cannot close unless conditions are so prohibitive that there is no sane reason it should remain open.

There's anywhere from 8-12 inches of snow out there and it's 9 degrees this morning.

Real feel temperature is below 0.

Turns out those conditions are not too prohibitive for keeping the world's largest day care open.

Alas, the students I need to come for Regents review today probably will not come.

The students who do not need Regents review - the one's who are there day-in and day-out every day no matter what - they'll probably be in school.

Should be a fun and productive day.

And somebody said there may be more snow to come on Saturday and maybe even Regents week.

Happy teaching and learning, everybody!

Snow Call

Many on the weather board say the snow is stating to wind down in their areas.

Looks like all but the heaviest snow will end about midnight.

Temperatures will be in the single digits tomorrow, there will be near a foot of snow in Central Park.

But I am betting there will be school.

Heading off to bed for an earlier trip in.

Goodnight all.

Go Away, Snow God

National Weather Service has 8-12 inches total accumulation, plunging temperatures, with a Winter Storm Advisory in effect until 6 AM tomorrow.

Mayor says school is open tomorrow unless something changes to make it otherwise.

Snowing hard now, but the early start to the storm probably means it's out of here earlier too.

Students are all talking like it is a snow day tomorrow, but it doesn't look like it's going to be one.

Here's hoping if school is on tomorrow, that students show up.

There's still some work to do before next week's Regents exams.

Here's also hoping that the snow god goes way for two weeks after this.

There is now some talk on the weather boards about two additional snow events in the coming days, one on Saturday and one on Monday.

That would be disastrous for students in Regents classes and teachers teaching those classes.

ELA Regents tutoring is Saturday and the exam is Monday.

We need it to be nice and precipitation-less both of those days

They Keep Raising The Snow Totals

Latest National Weather Service forecast is now calling for 8-12 inches of snow between noon today and early morning tomorrow.

The potential is for some areas in and around the city to get as much as 14 inches of snow.

Because of the timing of the storm, I would expect school to be in session tomorrow, as the snow is expected to end in the early morning hours, giving enough time for major roads to be cleared for the morning rush.

That will still make for a hazardous trip into work for many - and will definitely mean low turnout in attendance in NYC schools.

It will essentially be a lost school day - and as I posted earlier, this will have an impact on Regents preparation for many students and teachers around the city.

I prayed to the snow god that this storm would turn back into a quick hit clipper, drop a dusting on us and begone.

Alas, it is now turning into a bigger storm than the one that closed school back on January 3.

Starting To Look Like A Major Storm

National Weather Service now calling for 6-10 inches Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning, than plunging temperatures into the teens.

Given the forecast, we should see school go off as normal tomorrow, then see after school activities cancelled for tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday starts to look dicey, depending on when the storm ends and snow stops falling.

My guess is, we have school, but attendance will be majorly impacted by the snow.

Sigh - the students who need the Regents prep the most will be the ones who skip school over this kind of weather.

And then we'll be down to just Thursday and Friday...

Saying No To The Snow God

The ELA Regents exam is next Monday.

We have four class days left before the exam.

We have three days of after school tutoring, since Friday tutoring is always a no-go.

Ever since they had to cancel school a day after we gave the ELA Regents back during the 2000's, I start scouting the weather reports a few weeks in advance before the actual test date.

See, the last thing we want to do is spend all this time getting students ready for the ELA Regents, then have snow cancel the exam in NYC or hold down attendance if it's a light snow event and school is still in session.

Now the Regents exam isn't until next week, but this is our final big push to get students ready, so I am not at all that happy snow is now forecast for tomorrow afternoon into tomorrow night.

When I first saw the forecast, it was for a clipper to do a light hit-and-run on the area and drop anywhere from a dusting to 3 inches, depending upon where you are.

That sort of storm wouldn't do too much damage to our attendance or cancel or after school tutoring, so I can live with that.

But now I see this is the latest forecast:

 . WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT...
* LOCATIONS... NEW YORK CITY... METROPOLITAN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY... SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER... LONG ISLAND AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT.
* HAZARD TYPES... SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 8 INCHES... LOCALLY HIGHER OVER EASTERN LONG ISLAND AND SOUTHEAST CONNECTICUT.
* WINDS... NORTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
* TEMPERATURES... IN THE TEENS TO LOWER 20S DURING THE DAY... AND SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS AT NIGHT.
* VISIBILITIES... ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES.
* TIMING... SNOWFALL WILL BEGIN LATE TUESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT WITH HEAVIEST SNOWFALL EXPECTED TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
* IMPACTS... FALLING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL AND WALKING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA... POSSIBLY IMPACTING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING COMMUTE. EXTREME COLD AND LOW WIND CHILLS COULD CAUSE FROST BITE. DRESS APPROPRIATELY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

Accuweather has forecast between 6 to 12 inches for the area.

This will have a significant impact on attendance at school.

Attendance will probably be down for tomorrow and after school activities will almost certainly be cancelled.

Depending upon how late the storm ends, there is a possibility of school closures on Wednesday, but the likelihood is we will have school on Wednesday but attendance will be impacted (and after school tutoring attendance greatly impacted.)

This is not what I was hoping for this last week before Regents exams.

In short, if you are a teacher with a few Regents classes taking an exam next week, you are praying to the snow god to come and go with a quick clipper hit and come back in February when all the Regents prep, exam taking and grading is down.

Alas, we'll just have to see how this plays out.

I am hoping for a dusting and it's out of here.

Snow Day Playlist

Pulled some of my Ramones discography out for a snow day listen:

Also writing some college recommendations.

How about you?

What are you up to do this fine snow day?

Snow Day

NEW snow totals. 7-9" in #Queens, #Bronx, & #Brooklyn http://t.co/9clr0yZqEG @ABC7NY @Evansweather @JeffSmithABC7 @AmyFreeze7
— Lee Goldberg (@LeeGoldbergABC7) January 3, 2014

No school anywhere in the area - even NYC public schools.

Would have been nice of the new mayor to make the call for closure before 4:45 AM.

Some teachers have to make a decision on whether to try and get in to work by that time of the morning.

Alas, the NYC public school system is the largest child care center in the world, so I get why they wait until the latest possible time to call school.

At 6:50 AM, the temperature was 11 degrees - with wind chill, it was -5.

4-9 inches of snow around the area, but the problem is now the wind and arctic temperatures that will keep that snow frozen and ice packed all day.

No way to make kids come to school in that safely.

I don't think even Bloomberg could have kept the schools opened under those conditions.