Teachers union: More than a dozen positive COVID-19 cases found in 9 schools

Within the last four days, the teachers union says more than a dozen staff members tested positive for COVID-19 from at least nine New York City schools.

News 12 Staff

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Sep 11, 2020, 9:09 PM

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Updated 1,414 days ago

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News 12’s Mary-Lyn Buckley spoke with parents about the situation with students going back to school in under two weeks.

“If teachers are already getting infected, I don't see how they're going to be able to stop it from happening to children,” a parent tells News 12.

City schools are scheduled to reopen for in-person learning on Sept. 21.

The New York City Department of Education confirms that so far there have been 17 positive cases of COVID-19 throughout schools.

Teachers at I.S. 230 in Jackson Heights, Queens are taking matters into their own hands and hosted their professional development outside.

Parents and grandparents who spoke with News 12 say their main concern is COVID-19 cases spiking once schools do reopen. Some felt the whole process is being rushed.

“If teachers can manage the mask and they are still contracting it, I don't how kids are going to be able to not get it,” a parent tells News 12.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the NYC Teachers Union, said Thursday that the city isn’t holding up its end of the deal when it comes to rapid results and that of COVID-19 doesn’t improve the union is prepared to prevent schools from opening on Sept. 21.

A group of educators claims COVID-19 positive cases came from nine different schools across the city, but the Department of Education confirmed three out of nine schools, including P.S. 1 and M.S. 88 in Brooklyn and P.S. 811X in the Bronx.