Last week, preschoolers and some children with specials needs were allowed back into buildings, and middle and high schools are scheduled to bring back in-person learning on Thursday.
Staffers in at least 150 New York City school buildings have tested positive for Covid-19, according to the Department of Education.
“While we continue to navigate the realities of a pandemic, there will be positive cases—we are putting people’s health above everything else by quickly identifying and isolating positive cases to prevent further transmission,” DOE spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said.
“Beginning in October, all schools will have mandatory monthly random testing to continue to keep transmission low and our communities safe.”
The school buildings with employee infections include early education centers which are independent, community-based organizations that partner with the city’s education department to provide a free full-day, high quality pre-K, a city official previously told CNN.
Concerns over outbreaks
There’s a great deal of attention on New York, not just from the families directly affected but because most of the US’s largest school districts have opted for an entirely online experience to start the school year.
The overall rate of positive Covid tests across New York City is at about 1%, but outbreaks in Brooklyn and Queens are creating positivity rates in some neighborhoods of up to 17%.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the state would provide 200 rapid-testing machines to areas where clusters of the virus have been identified and urged schools to request one if needed.
“We are going to be getting daily testing numbers, so we’ll be able to tell on a day-to-day basis what is actually happening with the test in NYC schools both with the teachers and the pupils,” he said.
“We’ll act prudently based on the numbers, but I get the concern of the principals’ union and we will be watching the numbers very closely.”
On Sunday, New York City’s principals and school administrators union declared a unanimous vote of no confidence in de Blasio and the schools chancellor and called for the state education department to intervene.
Cuomo said the state would take action if it was needed.
“What we’re seeing now with this Brooklyn cluster, we have to get to the bottom of that. But the data is key and we’ll act on the data.”
CNN’s Mirna Alsharif contributed to this report.