A principal at a public school in Brooklyn could face disciplinary action after she closed her school on Monday due to a “staffing crisis” surrounding the coronavirus, and told the community that the Department of Education did not respond to her request for guidance on the matter.
“At 2:00 this afternoon, I requested an emergency operational closure of our building for Monday, but the Department of Education has not provided a clear response to this staffing crisis,” a message from the principal of PS 58 in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens said, according to a screenshot of the email posted to Twitter by ProPublica’s deputy managing editor Eric Umansky.
Google Maps screenshot of PS 58 in Brooklyn
(Google Maps)
The message stated that there were not enough teachers due to positive COVID test results, teachers experiencing symptoms of the virus and are awaiting test results, and others staying home to care for loved ones with the virus.
“I do not believe it is fair to our families to wait any longer for guidance,” the message continued, adding that the principal hoped and anticipated to hear from the DOE by later Sunday.
The DOE of New York City pushed back on the principal’s claims, telling Fox News that the agency was working on providing staffing support for the school and that the principal sent the message without permission.
“All of the data shows that the safest place for children is inside a school and we’re working with our school leaders to ensure they are fully prepared to welcome back students and staff safely in-person today. We have robust measures in place to immediately address any staffing issues to keep our doors open for the hundreds of thousands of children and families who rely on schools as a lifeline every day,” a DOE spokesperson told Fox Digital.
The DOE is looking into the matter and exploring the option of disciplinary action against the principal. The DOE also has paraprofessional substitutes and other teachers who can be sent to schools coping with staffing shortages, as well as a protocol in place to immediately address any issues principals need assistance with.
The principal of PS 58 did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
New York City is currently grappling with a surge in coronavirus cases, where the daily average of cases sits at 36,856 as of Sunday, according to the New York Times.
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Students in the city headed back to class on Monday for the first time since holiday breaks, which came as the United Federation of Teachers president requested Mayor Eric Adams delay in-person learning in light of the spike in cases.
“We need to really figure out where we’re at in staffing capacity,” United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said, according to CBSNew York. “Teachers are informing us that they cannot come in, their child tested positive, they tested positive … We’ve seen COVID over the holidays that we never saw.”
Adams said that school will still be operating as of Monday, explaining schools are the “safest place for children.”
Mayor-elect Eric Adams speaks during an announcement at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Adams announced his appointments of Lisa Flores as director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services and Marjorie Landa as director of the newly-created Mayor’s Office of Risk Management and Compliance. He also said that new COVID pandemic policy will be announced after he takes office on January 1, 2022.
(Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“The stats are clear. The safest place for children is inside a school. The numbers of transmission are low,” he said. “We’re going to create a safe environment with testing.”
Adams addressed the PS 58 issue at a press conference Monday, where he said the situation is being investigated.
“The message is clear from us: Our schools are open. And if our principals need support, they should reach out to the situation room and have the coordination that we put in place. We put a great plan in place, and we want everyone to follow that plan so we can be on one message,” he said at the press conference.
The country is currently facing a testing shortage, and pop-up testing sites in New York City have reported long lines. The spread of omicron during the holiday season has sparked thousands of people to get tested ahead of returning to work and school.
FILE – People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in New York’ Times Square on Dec. 13, 2021. More than a year after the vaccine was rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
The number of people tested at schools was doubled starting Monday, with both vaccinated and unvaccinated students being tested. Teachers and staff will also have the option of getting tested.
“We’re going to follow the science. The science will ensure that we can effectively deal with this COVID surge,” Adams said. “We’re not going to be caught off guard again.
