Even before start of classes, virus hits two staffers

Two staffers at Brooklyn public schools tested positive for COVID-19 — just a day after teachers and other school employees reported to school buildings to plan classes, the Daily News has learned.

Public School 1 in Sunset Park and Middle School 88 in Park Slope informed staffers of the positive tests on Tuesday, the Education Department confirmed. The schools are both a part of Community School District 15.

School workers who were in close contact with the two infected employees were contacted by the city’s Test and Trace Corps, according to city officials. All staffers were given the option to work remotely Wednesday, but buildings weren’t shut down entirely.

“Our protocol is to immediately notify staff and Test and Trace will begin an investigation to determine any close contacts,” said education spokeswoman Miranda Barbot. “We’ll require any staff identified as close contacts to quarantine, and remain vigilant to prevent spread.”

City teachers were strongly encouraged — but not required — to be tested for the virus before returning to school buildings. They were given priority at more than 30 city-run testing sites.

The Brooklyn cases are the first publicly reported instances of the virus in city schools since buildings reopened.

City officials laid out as part of their reopening a detailed protocol for responding to positive COVID-19 cases once students are in school buildings — including sending an entire class home if there’s a positive case in the classroom, and temporarily shutting down a building if there are two or more cases if different classes.

Test and Trace investigators then reach out to close contacts to provide specific instructions, and decide whether to keep the building closed for two weeks or longer.

Roughly 60,000 teachers were expected to report back to their buildings Tuesday, in addition to tens of thousands of paraprofessionals and thousands of administrators. Students who have chosen part-time schooling over full-time at-home learning are expected back in classrooms Sept. 21.

City Education Department officials have pledged to alert school communities of positive cases, but have not committed to releasing the data publicly.

At a Tuesday press conference, Gov. Cuomo said the state Health Department is working on a public internet page that will report the number of positive virus tests by school and school district.