Frustrated parents and teachers spoke out about Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision not to close New York City public schools during a nor'easter.

Some even signed an online petition calling on the mayor to close schools. Despite receiving over 167,000 signatures, schools remained open Wednesday.

The mayor spoke at a news conference saying it was a tough decision to keep the schools open, but his administration interpreted the National Weather Service’s forecast to not have significant impacts on the city even though 5-10 inches of snow were predicted to fall.   

However, teachers who commute to the city and live in areas that received greater impacts from the storm were critical of the mayor's decision.

According to a press release from the mayor's office, a decision to close city schools on days of inclement weather is made after consulting with at least four other city agencies.

The press release states, "The Chancellor or Deputy Chancellor of Operations will announce the Citywide decision to close schools (including the cancellation of after-school activities) on days of inclement weather or other Citywide emergency conditions after consultation with the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, the Weather Bureau, the City Sanitation Department, the City Transit Authority and other appropriate agencies."