Thousands of NYC Kids Depend on School for Lunch

A small child waits for a bus next to a tall sign. MK Metz

 Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Farina got a lot of flak on Thursday for not closing NYC schools on that very snowy day.

But many of the city’s 1.1 million public school kids depend on school for stability and a hot meal, the Mayor said.

Some facts:

- About 75 percent of all New York City public school students (roughly 800,000 kids) qualified for free or reduced price lunch last year because their family income was so low.

- School attendence on Thursday was 45 percent.

Maybe it was stupid to keep schools open, but it could also be true that for many of those who did attend, having a safe place and hot lunch was pretty important.

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