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The number of Department of Education staffers reported by relatives to have died from coronavirus has surged to 61, as the heartbreaking figure climbed by 11 in just one week, officials said Monday.
“Each of these individuals had an impact on one of our schools or offices, and we are supporting these communities during this unimaginably difficult time,” the DOE said in a statement.
The number of school employees felled by COVID-19 now includes a staggering 25 teachers, 26 paraprofessionals who work alongside teachers, two administrators, two general school aides, two facilities staffers, two school kitchen workers, a parent coordinator and a guidance counselor.
The department has noted that the cases were reported by relatives of the deceased and have not been confirmed by the Department of Health.
The DOE is updating the COVID-19 death count each week after being criticized for failing to publicize the impact of the coronavirus on school-based employees.



