Another New York City public school will be temporarily shut down to COVID-19 — just a day before remote learning is scheduled to begin.
P.S. 139 in Ditmas Park will be closed for 24 hours starting on Sept. 16 while the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the city’s Test and Trace Corp investigate two potentially unrelated cases of the virus.
On Tuesday, the school’s principal called the city’s “Situation Room” to report a potentially COVID-19 positive staffer. Department of Education officials confirmed the case and are preparing to notify the school community in writing.
A staffer self-reported testing positive for COVID-19 to the Department of Education on Friday, Sept. 11, department officials confirmed.
Schools will be shut down if more than one staffer not connected by classroom or cohort tests positive for the virus within a seven day period, DOE policy dictates.
The school will be updated on the status of the cases and the schools closure by 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to DOE spokesperson Miranda Barbot.
On Monday, a number of parents protested outside P.S. 139 against the proposed reopening of the school during the ongoing pandemic. While remote learning begins on Sept. 16, public schools will reopen their doors to students on Sept. 21, with a “blended model” of in-classroom instruction and remote learning taking place during the school year.
This story first appeared on AMNY.com.
