Multiple COVID-19 cases in New York City public schools will no longer trigger “epidemiological assessments” by the health department, according to an internal memo obtained by The Post.
The city Department of Education memo to principals comes as the new Omicron subvariant, BA.2 sparks fears of a possible surge.
If there’s a breakout of multiple cases in classrooms or on sports teams, the memo says, principals should distribute COVID-19 home test kits to students who have been exposed.
The superintendent’s office can help assess “what may be causing the increase in transmission” and consult the Office of School Health “to minimize further transmission.”
“I didn’t realize that epidemiology was part of my principal’s duties,” said a Brooklyn administrator, who asked not to be named without DOE permission to speak.
The Kings County principal said the new directive, which went into effect March 14, confused him and several colleagues.
“It’s the honor system at this point,” the principal said. “The kids come back to school and you don’t know if they tested or what the results were.”
The city Health Department will mandate principals to give out COVID-19 tests to students who test positive. Brittany Murray/The Orange County Register via AP
School administrators argue the city Health Department is forcing them to do extra work on monitoring COVID-19 cases. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA“We feel they want to decrease the staff in the Situation Room,” he added, referring to the team of DOE and health officials who oversee COVID cases in schools.
“This is the way they’re doing it and putting it on us.”
DOE spokesman Nathaniel Styer denied any changes in Situation Room procedures.
City Hall recently lifted mask mandates in schools, with the exception of children 5 or younger. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images“There is a citywide shift away from universal contact tracing, but all of the same alerts and systems are in place in our schools,” he said. “The ask of the principal remains the same as it has been since January.”
The current threshold to gauge transmission is 10 cases in a classroom or sports team, though officials said that number could be revisited as the pandemic evolves. In the Brooklyn administrator’s building, cases have not reached that count at any point in the pandemic, he said.
The policy shift comes after the Post reported that principals will earn millions in overtime pay for an avalanche of work imposed by the Situation Room, including tracing what students and staff were exposed to COVID and notifying families.
The Department of Education reported 205 new coronavirus cases on March 17, 2022. Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesOn Thursday, the DOE reported 205 new COVID cases – 145 students and 60 staff. No classrooms were closed or quarantined.
The health department did not return a request for comment.
