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UPDATE: Bronx Student Does Not Have Coronavirus, Affected Schools To Reopen Friday
By
Sophia Chang
,
Jessica Gould
and
Yasmeen Khan
Published Mar 12, 2020
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By
Sophia Chang
,
Jessica Gould
and
Yasmeen Khan
Published Mar 12, 2020
Share
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The city officially closed two schools located in one Bronx building Thursday in reaction to a student who "self-confirmed" having a case of the highly communicable coronavirus. But parents and faculty at two schools in Brooklyn are wondering why their schools did not receive similar treatment after COVID-19 afflicted parents of students.
[UPDATE: New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced Thursday night that the student had tested negative for COVID-19, and that both the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology and South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School would be open on Friday.]
Mayor Bill de Blasio said in his Thursday afternoon press conference that the city is awaiting medical confirmation of the Bronx student's diagnosis.
The 24-hour closure to clean the facilities also allowed for the city to test its ability to still offer meals and services to students if the public school system were ever shut down. At the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology and South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School, bags containing 16 lunches were brought to the schools by staff from the DOE's Office of Food and Nutrition Services and several security guards.
The news spooked people at neighboring schools as well:
The schools share a building at 360 East 145th Street in the South Bronx, serving 6th to 12th grades and about 1,300 students.
According to the mayor's staff, a "self-confirmed" positive case means that it is based on an individual's report but the case has not yet been formally logged in the state database.
Under the protocol established by the state, all public schools in New York that have a COVID-19 case must immediately shut down for a period of 24 hours so that the building can be disinfected and the affected individuals quarantined.
But families at two schools in Brooklyn -- PS 107 in Park Slope and Abraham Lincoln High School near Brighton Beach -- are questioning why parents who tested positive for COVID-19 didn't trigger the closure of their building as well.
David Auerbach, whose daughter attends PS 107, said the school sent a letter to parents stating that a parent had tested positive for COVID-19 but there was no need to close the building -- two affected classrooms would be deep-cleaned.
He was frustrated at the lack of further information including if the affected parent had ever entered the building. "They're absolutely tight-lipped," he said of the school staff. "My impression I get is that the Department of Education is struggling to get a grip on this because they weren't prepared for it. And they're trying to figure out what to do."
At Abraham Lincoln High School, Principal Ari Hoogenboom wrote a letter reporting a parent with four children who attend the school had been diagnosed with COVID-19. The family's three children who were present in class March 9th were immediately taken for screening and sent home in a car service to self-quarantine for 14 days. The relevant classrooms and public spaces were subject to a deep cleaning, Hoogenboom wrote.
A teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School who didn't want to be identified told WNYC that "many of us are being left to use common sense to try to calm students' anxieties, and many of us are facing our own anxieties and uncertainties. There is a high level of acknowledgement that our students and staff could be transmitting viruses to more vulnerable populations that we live with."
The Department of Education emphasized that food would continue to be provided to students in the event of school closures:
“We know that for many families, school is the only place to get meals for the day and that need continues even if a school closes," said spokesperson Danielle Filson in an email. "If a school is closed for 24 hours we’re prepared to serve grab-and-go breakfast and lunch for any student who wants it.”
The DOE said there were no confirmed cases among students or staff at the two Brooklyn schools.
Jessica Gould / WNYC
Meanwhile, city councilmember Mark Treyger says it's time the school system moves to a "summer school model" immediately.
"So it would be a limited shutdown, with some schools open in each borough that would serve the most vulnerable,” Treyger said. “Those students that require medical services. Students that are in need of meals and other care -- that would be provided for them.”
Buses would still provide students transportation, he said. And with a limited number of buildings open, there would be enough school nurses in the system to have a health professional at each site.
"I think that what's happening now is that you have this drip, drip, drip effect -- where there are rumors abound about students not feeling well in school and they're just scrambling and chasing to investigate every single case."
Treyger says the state would have to sign off on his plan, since state law requires 180 days of school instruction. He says now is the time for some flexibility, including postponing upcoming state tests for third through eighth grade students.
"There are parents and educators who are speaking to me that their children are still anxious about upcoming state ELA exams," Treyger said. "There's a pending state assessment. That should not be on the minds of kids and educators and parents right now in the middle of a health emergency."
The city is also now allowing families to keep students home out of caution without penalty. Councilmember Justin Brannan noted on Twitter that "Families who wish to keep their children home as a precaution or for self-quarantine will be marked with a specially designated absence code. This code differentiates the absence so it will NOT be counted against the student."
He added that families need to be clear about the reason for the students absence -- "However, families MUST notify their schools with a phone call or email that their child will be absent for this reason," he said. "In addition, as previously stated, amid the #Coronavirusnyc coronavirus outbreak, NYC will NOT count absences towards middle and high school admissions process."
In addition, the Archdiocese of New York announced that all of its elementary schools would be closed from Monday March 16th to Friday March 20th. Catholic high schools are to make their own determinations on staying open.
Tagged
COVID-19
schools
coronavirus
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Yasmeen Khan
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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