Classes in red, orange zones OKd
City public schools will no longer have to temporarily shut down in-person classes if their neighborhoods are designated coronavirus clusters, state officials said Monday.
Previously, public schools in state-defined red or orange zones had to close their buildings for at least four days before attempting to reopen. But a revised state approach, combined with a new city plan that increases school COVID-19 testing, will allow city schools to skip building closures even if virus rates flare in the surrounding community, state officials said.
“That’s something that we worked through in this more nuanced approach,” said Melissa DeRosa, secretary to Gov. Cuomo, during a press conference Monday. “Recognizing that ... the mayor’s doing testing on a rolling basis ... they [schools] would be able to stay open uninterrupted.” The shift comes as city officials prepare to reopen elementary schools, preschools, and schools for students with severe disabilities after briefly shuttering the entire system when the citywide coronavirus positivity rate hit 3%.
As part of that reopening plan, city officials have pledged to test 20% of students and staff at each school, each week — an approach that exceeds the state’s requirement to test 20-30% of students and staff over the course of a month, with some testing each week, in order to reopen schools in red or orange zones.
The new strategy is in line with city and state officials’ growing optimism about the safety of in-person learning.
“All the testing says schools are safer than the surrounding community,” Cuomo said Monday.
Currently, the city’s only active orange zone is on the South Shore of Staten Island, but several other parts of the city are designated yellow zones — and could tip into orange if virus levels continue to rise.
Education Department officials didn’t immediately confirm whether city schools in the current orange zone would open on the same schedule as other city schools, but Mayor de Blasio said Monday “we intend to work to reopen those schools, hopefully, as early as next week, but we have to follow all state guidance.”