A group of teachers who carpooled to work during yesterday morning's ice storm say they arrived at the school five minutes late and were greeted by an angry principal who vowed to dock their pay. Parents who witnessed the scene described it as an "uproar," and they tell the Staten Island Advance the principal also issued late passes to students who arrived past the 8 a.m. start time. A heavy-handed crackdown by a rule-crazy principal, or a crucial, Bloomberg-style life lesson on the importance of punctuality?

"It was disgusting," says one mom, who would prefer her child shuffle through life wasting everybody's time instead of learning that actions have consequences. "They’re saying all over the news, ‘Stay home if you can.’ She should have been appreciative that the teachers made it in." The principal, Denise Spina of P.S. 30, has refused to comment, but a DOE spokesperson says Spina told her that "no teacher is being docked today."

So did Spina's cold clock heart melt a little once a reporter started asking questions? We may never now, but naturally the Advance commenters have a thing or two to say about it. Here's one trenchant opinion:

The principal should have appreciated that the teachers even showed up? Yes let's teach out children that there are no rules, lets's teach them that employees can come and go as they please and there are no consequences. I would be willing to bet that these teachers probably already took several SNOW days off. LISTEN, YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO. IT IS REASONABLE FOR YOUR EMPLOYER TO EXPECT YOU TO BE ON TIME, YOU KNOW THE WEATHER MIGHT EFFECT YOUR COMMUTE SO YOU GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF CUSHION. MILLIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE DO IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR JOB OR YOU HATE YOUR JOB THEN QUIT YOU SNIVELING MORONS, THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE JOBS THAT COULD JUST AS EASILY REPLACE YOU. YOU REALLY ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, LIFE WILL GO ON WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.

WELL THAT SETTLES IT! MAYBE THESE UNGRATEFUL EDUCATORS WILL HAVE THE GOOD SENSE TO LEAVE FIVE MINUTES EARLY DURING THE NEXT INSANE ICE STORM. EVER HEAR OF A LITTLE MOVIE CALLED LEAN ON ME? WHAT WOULD MORGAN FREEMAN DO? AND DID YOU KNOW MICHAEL IMPERIOLI WAS IN THAT? IT WAS HIS SECOND MOVIE ROLE—BEFORE GOODFELLAS!