Lots of New Yorkers are angry that the city’s public schools stayed open today despite a massive snowstorm, but none can vent about it quite as loudly as Al Roker. In a departure from his usually cheery on-air persona, the “Today” weatherman criticized mayor Bill de Blasio’s office and NYC public schools in a serious of furious tweets.
@NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools Maybe the Mayor and School’s Chancellor should let us know when they would actually close schools?
— Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
@NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools snow policy is ridiculous. Tell people to stay off the roads. Stay home. But send your kids/teachers/staff in? — Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
Why are schools all around NYC closed? It’s going to take some kid or kids getting hurt before this goofball policy gets changed — Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
So now my daughter’s NYC public school is being let out early. @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools Is it worth putting kids’ safety at risk? — Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
And then he called out de Blasio by name:
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
Zing! Roker continued to vent, and even more so once he thought the National Weather Service was being blamed:
@NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools Please, so we understand, make known weather-related school closing policy. Of course, assuming you have one.
— Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
@NYCMayorsOffice says snow was faster/heavier than expected. No, Mr. Mayor. It came as predicted. Don’t blame weather for YOUR poor policy — Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
How dare @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools throw NWS under the school bus. Forecast was on time and on the money — Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
The New York City’s mayor’s office Twitter account had one reminder (retweeted by the NYC public school’s account):
Since 1978 we’ve only had 11 snow days in New York City Public Schools.
— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) February 13, 2014
And according to reports, de Blasio addressed Roker’s Twitter rant, saying at an afternoon briefing that he respected Roker, but “It’s a different thing to run a city than to give the weather on TV.”
Ouch. Roker had one thing to say about that:
Mr. Mayor, I could never run NYC, but I know when it’s time to keep kids home from school
— Al Roker (@alroker) February 13, 2014
