A principal at a Manhattan public middle school told parents that unvaccinated students would be required to produce a negative COVID-19 test before attending class — but quickly backtracked when a parent complained.
Principal Elaine Schwartz sent a letter to parents earlier this week that said the school was keeping tabs on unvaccinated students after a COVID-19 case at the school, and they would be required to test negative at their own expense, regardless of their exposure to the patient.
Upper West Sider Antigone Michaelides, whose son attends MS 243 Center School, said she received a letter and was outraged.
“We do know that 195 of our students are vaccinated and that DOE regulations are that they should just continue to attend school,” read the letter, which Michaelides tweeted Wednesday.
“The remaining unvaccinated students, particularly those in after school, should be tested and must show us the test result in order to reenter the school.”
New York City’s Department of Education has no policy requiring students to be vaccinated or test negative before coming to school, even as kids ages 5-11 are now required to show proof of vaccination to eat at restaurants and attend other public events in the boroughs.
Michaelides told The Post she had trouble finding a quick test amid high demand until 11 a.m. Tuesday, forcing her sixth-grader to be almost three hours late for class. She argued the ordeal was an invasion of her family’s privacy.
The Manhattan public school’s COVID-19 policy conflicted with New York City’s Department of Education. AP“Both his parents are vaccinated, but it’s our business as parents as to what to do with our kid’s medical status,” Michaelides said. “We’re not forced to vaccinate him at this point.”
“Can you imagine an 11-year-old being told to get out of the building? Imagine if this happened. I didn’t know who knew how it would go down. There was no option but to comply.”
Michaelides said she was fortunate enough to have the money and flexible schedule to hunt down a pack of two rapid tests for $30, but not all parents might not have the same luxury at the elite West 84th Street school whose alumni include the children of celebrities like Cynthia Nixon, Samantha Bee and Louis CK.
Cynthia Nixon’s children attended the Manhattan public school. Bruce Glikas/WireImage“We can afford it, but what if there’s a parent out there who can’t? I’m lucky because I work for myself. What if a parent had to go to work?”
After Michaelides tweeted a screenshot of the principal’s letter bemoaning the “made up” rule, she said she was contacted by an “apologetic” school official who said the testing requirement was “completely outside the DOE guidelines.”
Schwartz then sent out a letter to parents retracting her previous missive, the DOE said.
The school was keeping tabs on unvaccinated students. Angel Chevrestt“Please disregard the message that went out 12/20. Only students who fall into close contact definition will be required to quarantine and there is no protocol which requires a negative test for all unvaccinated students to return to school,” the letter read.
“When a student is required to quarantine due to close contact there is an option to return to school earlier with a negative test. We apologize for the confusion caused by the previous messaging.”
Michaelides said she found the response unsatisfactory.
Parents found it challenging to find a COVID-19 test amid the high demand in New York. AP“Why do we have to go on social media for schools not to be discriminatory and make up their own rules?” she asked The Post.
“Why do we have to disclose our kids’ vaccination status? It’s private information. It’s not required.”
Principal Schwartz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
A 2018 Post report on MS 243 found that the school had a mysterious admissions process that pledged diversity in race and ability, but resulted in a school that was mostly white, affluent and high-performing.
