NYC Schools Temporarily Closed

Dear I.S. 24 Parent/Guardian,

 

Good afternoon! 

 

Please note this is not a message I take any comfort in sending you as we are all very disappointed this is happening.  As a parent and educator, I share the frustrations you may have, and we are with you. This news we have learned about NYC schools moving to a temporary school closure and switching to fully remote learning as of Thursday, November 19, 2020 was partly expected.  The message below is being sent on behalf of the NYC Schools Chancellor, Mr. Carranza along with the attached letter. You will see the letter on our website as well www.barnes24.org.

 

As per the Chancellor..."This has been an eventful and challenging year on so many levels. With your efforts and contributions, our school building has been a safe place for teaching and learning for hundreds of thousands of students over the past several weeks. To date, we have seen a COVID-19 positivity rate of only 0.19 percent out of more than 120,000 students and staff tested in all of NYC. This has been a reassuring sign that our schools are safe, and we are grateful for the tireless work you do to ensure this is possible."

 

"As you are aware, the City is experiencing elevated rates of COVID-19. Last summer, as we prepared to open our school buildings for in-person teaching and learning, we established a threshold of 3% COVID-19 test positivity rate for the City using a 7-day rolling average as a trigger for closing our school buildings and transitioning to fully remote learning. We established this threshold because of our commitment to health and safety for all of our DOE community above and beyond everything else."

 

"As of this morning, November 18, the City has now reached this threshold of test positivity citywide and, as a result, the DOE will temporarily close down all public school buildings for in-person learning, Thursday, November 19. This action, along with other city-wide measures, is a key component to address the concerning rise in COVID-19 transmission rates. This closure of buildings is temporary; we will work diligently alongside other City agencies and every New Yorker to bring this transmission rate back down and get back to in-person learning as quickly and as safely as possible."

 

"Translations of the family letter will be available very shortly on the Messages for Families page on the website."