Another Bed-Stuy School Closed For Coronavirus Cases: DOE

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Another Bed-Stuy school has temporarily closed for in-person learning after multiple coronavirus cases were detected in the building, according to the Department of Education.

P.S. 305 on Monroe Street was one of more than 100 buildings across the five boroughs closed on Monday, according to the Department of Education and their map of active COVID-19 cases.

The school originally was shut down for a 24-hour closure on Friday, but remained closed Monday after school officials requested more time to conduct an investigation into at least three coronavirus cases that had been reported at the school, DOE officials said.

The cases, reported Thursday and Friday, have closed three classrooms at the Academy of Arts and Letters, which shares the building with P.S. 305, according to the map.

Per DOE policy, a school building is closed when there are at least two cases from different classrooms, from an activity or exposure outside of school or when the link between them cannot be determined, according to the DOE.

In each case, the building is temporarily closed while the DOE starts an investigation into the cases. In the scenario when a link between the cases cannot be determined, the school is closed for 14 days, according to the guidelines.

The Bed-Stuy building is the latest in the neighborhood to be closed because of coronavirus cases. Most recently, I.S. 35 and P.S. 362 were closed for 24 hours. P.S. 308 on Quincy Street was also closed down this month for a two-week closure.

Across the five boroughs, there were 49 one-day school closures and 52 two-week closures as of Monday. Education officials have temporarily shut down more than 200 schools since buildings began to reopen for in-person learning in September.

The closures come as New York City officials try to stave off a full shut down of schools as coronavirus rates creep up in the city.

As of Monday, the city had not yet reached the 3-percent threshold for closing down the public school system. Parents and teachers have been told to prepare to switch to remote learning with a day's notice should the threshold be reached.

Check the full map of active cases here.