Teachers Want All East Ramapo Schools Online During Restrictions

RAMAPO, NY — Teachers in the East Ramapo schools have called on district officials to keep all buildings closed during the 14-day red-zone coronavirus shutdown in Rockland because people in the affected neighborhoods can travel out of them.

According to New York's school dashboard, there are three teachers with active cases and no cases among students in the district.

However, the East Ramapo Teachers Association is concerned about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to close schools in "hot spots" with high coronavirus positivity rates in Rockland as well as in Orange County, Brooklyn and Queens.

East Ramapo has schools in Rockland's red and yellow zone drawn by state health officials. They are closed as of Friday. However, there are some schools in the district that are outside the zone.

Union leaders worried about the potential for spread of the virus, saying closing school buildings within the red and yellow zones doesn't mean that people will not travel beyond those borders, including to schools.

"The governor’s cluster action initiative is a welcome step, but we fear that drawing red and yellow zones on a map doesn’t go far enough in protecting the health of students, staff and families as we continue to open schools for hybrid instruction," East Ramapo Teachers Association Acting President Susan LoRusso said.

As an example, union leaders cited Margetts Elementary, which is located outside of the designated red and yellow zones, and to which students from across the district are bussed for special education classes.

In fact, union leaders said that if the district will not keep all school buildings closed, the state of New York should do so.

"We need to err on the side of caution and take every action we can to limit the spread of the virus, especially in a community like ours that is seeing significant spikes in the infection rate," she said. "If that means continuing with remote education only across the district for the time being, then that’s the right choice in the interest of the safety of every member of our school community."

In seeking a districtwide closure, the union pointed to the decision made in New Rochelle in March to close all school buildings across the district after state health officials created a containment zone in one section of the city. SEE: Coronavirus: All New Rochelle Public Schools To Close

Rockland County's active coronavirus cases are mostly in the Ultra-Orthodox communities of Monsey and Spring Valley. On Wednesday, there were 1,500 active cases, up from 1,072 on Friday and a huge increase from 272 on Sept. 16. There were 23 people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.

The red zone includes neighborhoods where the highest density of cases have been confirmed. The new rules include closing all schools, shuting down all but essential businesses, allowing only takeout from restaurants and limiting houses of worship to a maximum of 10 people. Mass gatherings are prohibited.

The outer buffer is the yellow zone. There, houses of worship are limited to 50 percent capacity and mass gatherings are limited to a maximum of 25 people. Also, schools in that zone must do weekly coronavirus testing.

The restrictions are in effect for 14 days.

SEE ALSO:

• Rockland County Hot Spot Restrictions Go Into Effect At Midnight
• Coronavirus Hot Spot Unrest is 'Measles Redux': Cuomo
• COVID-19 Hospitalization Rates Higher In Orange, Rockland