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Mayor de Blasio Says that Only the State Can Close Private Schools

Mayor de Blasio Says that Only the State Can Close Private Schools

   By Yehudit Garmaise

   Parents throughout New York City warily keep their eyes on the COVID-positivity rate, which yesterday, reached 2.77% on the seven-day rolling average, just .23% away from the 3% positivity rate at which Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned would require the city to close its public schools.

    How will that 3% COVID positivity threshold affect the city’s private schools, a BoroPark24 reporter this morning asked the mayor, who said that the 3% standard was one that he set with his health team only for the city’s public schools.

    “The state sets the ultimate guidance related to non-public schools,” the mayor explained. 

   While Gov. Andrew Cuomo decides, based on the rates of COVID-19 positivity in the micro-cluster areas, whether schools should remain open or closed, one realm in which non-public schools must take responsibility is the administration of the testing of their students, teachers, and staffs.

   “We are very clear,” the mayor said. “[Private schools’ obligation to test] is something we have looked at very carefully legally, and that is their legal obligation. We will support [private schools’ COVID testing] in the ways we can, and we will try to be helpful in the ways we can.

  Mayor de Blasio went on to say that the city supports in “a very material” and “hands-on” way, the testing efforts of non-public schools. 

   “The Department of Health has been in touch constantly with a variety of non-public schools offering test kits that we get from the state, and we provide them for free, offering the support to help schools to figure out the best way to do testing. But, ultimately, every non-public school is responsible for its own testing approach.” 

     “Everyone is trying to communicate and figure out how to keep our kids safe. It doesn’t matter what kind of school it is. We want to keep our kids safe and our families safe.”

Credit: Christopher Sessums/Flickr


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