For the second year in a row, New York City has barred its public high schools from holding senior proms, saying the galas are still not safe.

“Proms typically involve eating and drinking, which require removal of face coverings, and dancing, which can potentially promote COVID-19 transmission,” the city Department of Education says.

“As a result, in-person proms, both indoor and outdoor, are not permitted at this time.”

The DOE did open the door for schools to hold optional outdoor commencement or moving up ceremonies — if they follow COVID-19 safety rules such as mask-wearing and social distancing. Last year, during the school lockdown, the city staged a citywide virtual graduation ceremony with Jennifer Lopez and then-fiancé Alex Rodriguez as keynote speakers.

The prom prohibition — quietly posted on the DOE website last week — comes a year after big nights of dining and dancing for the Class of 2020, about 61,000 graduates, were abruptly canceled early in the pandemic.

“It’s definitely disappointing,” said Lola Murti, 18, a senior at the Bronx High School of Science, which has a graduating class of some 700 seniors.

“Me and most of my friends have been online the whole school year. We were  looking forward to a large group, end-of-high school gathering.”

Murti won’t forgo all the festivity, she said. “A few of my friends and I want to buy prom dresses anyway — but not spend as much as we normally would — get dressed up and take pictures.”

At Brooklyn Tech, hopeful student leaders had already booked a venue at Chelsea Piers for a prom on Saturday, June 5.

The affair would feature: “Full service white glove dining (hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, entrée, dessert), professional DJ,  prom favor, breathtaking views and other added surprises.”

But, as the student announcement notes, the event is “dependent on COVID and NYC guidelines.”

Isabella Goldmints, whose daughter is a senior at Stuyvesant High School, was counting on a prom.

“Our kids have been in isolation for a year. My daughter only saw a tiny group of friends. She probably forgot how the other students look,” she said.

“School exists not just for academic knowledge accumulation, it’s also for social development and building life-long ties,” Goldmints added. “Our seniors were deprived of this experience.” 

Dennis McKeon, executive director of the Staten Island nonprofit Where to Turn, has about 300 prom dresses ready for its annual gown giveaway — including 200 fancy frocks donated by Macy’s last year after the pandemic halted sales.

“They still have the tags of them — never worn,” he said.

But as of last week, the dresses hang on racks. “I haven’t heard of anybody having any proms yet,” McKeon said.

A spokesman for Lara, a Midtown shop for special-occasion dresses, said some customers, mostly from outside the city, New Jersey and Connecticut, have come for prom dresses. But the store has sold only about 30 so far, compared to 200 to 300 normally by this time, he said.

Some private schools with smaller senior classes are planning COVID-19-conscious proms

“Like many other schools, we are exploring a reimagined prom, which would include safety measures,” said Patrick Muncie, a spokesman for the Dalton School on the Upper West Side. “Any plan would be outdoors and require social distance and masks.”

But forget about after-prom parties in Manhattan’s glitzy nightclubs that normally hold the alcohol-free fetes. They are still totally locked down.

“It looks like we won’t be able to do anything this year,’ said Demetrious Evans, owner of Prom Nightlife, an after-prom event planning service. “We’re just sitting back and hoping for the best in 2022.”

Bronx Science principal Rachel Hoyle did not use the word “canceled” when breaking the bad news to students..

“Prom will be postponed,” Hoyle said in a March 11 email.  “But the Alumni Foundation has generously agreed to throw you a prom when folks are able to be back in-person indoors and dancing together!”

The alumni group made the same promise to the 2020 graduates.  

Murti said a prom held too long after graduation would be anticlimactic.

“I don’t think people will want it that much. A lot of people will be in colleges across the country.”

But classmate Krish Shah, 17, is optimistic.

“Health takes precedence over fun,” he said. “We’ve been inside for over a year, No point in throwing all our efforts away for one night, when we can have it at a later time in a safer manner.”