BUFFALO, N.Y. – Even before the first flakes fell, New York City’s first big snowfall of the season was doomed to be a gloomy disappointment for more than a million of its schoolchildren.COVID-19 has robbed a lot from children in 2020, and in many school districts in northern climes it is now stealing the magic of the snow day — waking up to find that school has been canceled and the day will be filled with snowballs and snow angels.New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made it clear as the city began preparing for up to a foot of snow by Thursday that students there — including ones still attending classes in person — will be expected to log in and work as usual.Kids have lost too much instruction time already, he said, though he admitted to.