So Is Pre-K Also Basically About Child Care?

When less than half of kids show up to school citywide, being obstinate about keeping school open is clearly not about the instructional day. Maybe it’s just about a school leader being obstinate — it probably feels pretty good to thread the needle when it comes to the weather. But it turns out that it’s really just about the child care:

But the mayor and Ms. Fariña said city officials had juggled several considerations as they made the call, never an easy one, to keep public schools open.

Mr. de Blasio said he was mindful of parents who could not take off work on short notice and who depend on schools for child care, and he said officials believed that warmer temperatures and snowfall estimates would make for a safe commute.

Ms. Fariña said she had heard complaints from parents about last-minute decisions to close schools, so the city sought to provide more notice by deciding the night before. She said officials were also reluctant to call off school so close to a vacation week.

Blizzards have produced some of New York’s most memorable gaffes — former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg once urged snowbound residents to see a Broadway show — and Ms. Fariña veered close to that territory, telling New Yorkers, still struggling with slush-covered sidewalks, that “it is absolutely a beautiful day out there right now.”

Earlier: First Rule Of Governance: Don’t Get In A Public Debate With Al Roker.