Oct. 26, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Dozens of schools in Queens reopened today after they were shuttered for more than two weeks due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases in the areas where they are located.
Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered schools in red and orange COVID-19 zones to close earlier this month, but on Wednesday announced that they could reopen as the state rolled back some restrictions.
Schools within the the Central Queens coronavirus cluster — which includes areas of Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Forest Hills and Rego Park — and the Far Rockaway cluster reopened today as the clusters were changed to state-mandated yellow zones with less restrictions.
Schools within yellow zones can be open, but must perform weekly COVID-19 testing of in-person students and staff.
Parents and teachers in the zones have complained about the city and state’s handling of the closures — saying that officials lacked clarity and promptness in the announcements.
Some of the schools were first closed on Oct. 6 based on ZIP code data.
On Oct. 7, Cuomo said additional schools would have to close the following day, with teachers and parents given less than 24-hours notice. Many families, however, did not know what specific schools Cuomo ordered closed until well after 6 p.m. — when Cuomo finally tweeted a detailed cluster map.
The city had to decipher which schools fell within the zones before they could inform principals and school families of closures.
“On Thursday, October 7 families in our district put their children to bed without knowing whether their local school would be opened or closed,” the CB6 Chair, District Manager and Education Chair wrote in a letter to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza on Oct. 20.
Most families weren’t informed of the next-day school closures until after 8 p.m., they said.
The board members said they worried the same issues would happen with school reopenings in their Oct. 20 letter.
However, school families were given some answers on Oct. 21 when Cuomo announced that he was rolling back restrictions in Queens, including school closures.
His office said the affected schools would resume in-person classes today.
The schools that reopened are listed below, by district.
District 24:
DBN | School Name | Grades | Address | ZIP |
---|---|---|---|---|
24Q550 | High School for Arts and Business | 9-12 | 105-25 HORACE HARDING EXPY N | 11368 |
District 25:
25Q164 | P.S. 164 Queens Valley | PK-8 | 138-01 77 AVENUE | 11367 |
25Q165 | P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum | PK-5 | 70-35 150 STREET | 11367 |
25Q219 | P.S. 219 Paul Klapper | PK-8 | 144-39 GRAVETT ROAD | 11367 |
25Q425 | John Bowne High School | 9-12 | 63-25 MAIN STREET | 11367 |
25Q499 | The Queens College School for Math, Science and Technology | PK-8 | 148-20 REEVES AVENUE | 11367 |
25Q525 | Townsend Harris High School | 9-12 | 149-11 MELBOURNE AVENUE | 11367 |
25Q670 | Robert F. Kennedy Community High School | 9-12 | 75-40 PARSONS BOULEVARD | 11366 |
25Q792 | North Queens Community High School | 9-12 | 141-25 77TH ROAD | 11367 |
25Q201 | P.S. 201 The Discovery School for Inquiry and Research | PK-5 | 65-11 155 STREET | 11367 |
District 27:
27Q043 | P.S. 043 | 3K-8 | 160 BEACH 29 STREET | 11691 |
27Q053 | M.S. 053 Brian Piccolo | 6-8 | 10-45 NAMEOKE STREET | 11691 |
27Q104 | P.S. 104 The Bays Water | PK-5 | 26-01 MOTT AVENUE | 11691 |
27Q106 | Lighthouse Elementary School | PK-5 | 180 BEACH 35 STREET | 11691 |
27Q197 | P.S. 197 The Ocean School | 3K-5 | 825 HICKSVILLE ROAD | 11691 |
27Q253 | P.S. 253 | 3K-5 | 1307 CENTRAL AVENUE | 11691 |
27Q260 | Frederick Douglass Academy VI High School | 9-12 | 8-21 BAY 25 STREET | 11691 |
27Q282 | Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy VI | 6-8 | 8-21 BAY 25 STREET | 11691 |
27Q302 | Queens High School for Information, Research, and Technology | 9-12 | 8-21 BAY 25 STREET | 11691 |
27Q309 | Academy of Medical Technology: A College Board School | 6-12 | 8-21 BAY 25 STREET | 11691 |
27Q319 | Village Academy | 6-8 | 10-45 NAMEOKE STREET | 11691 |
27Q362 | Wave Preparatory Elementary School | 3K-5 | 535 BRIAR PLACE | 11691 |
27Q105 | P.S. 105 The Bay School | 3K-8 | 420 BEACH 51 STREET | 11691 |
District 28:
28Q099 | P.S. 099 Kew Gardens | K-6 | 82-37 KEW GARDENS ROAD | 11415 |
28Q139 | P.S. 139 Rego Park | K-5 | 93-06 63 DRIVE | 11374 |
28Q157 | J.H.S. 157 Stephen A. Halsey | 6-9 | 63-55 102ND STREET | 11374 |
28Q175 | P.S. 175 The Lynn Gross Discovery School | PK-5 | 64-35 102 STREET | 11374 |
28Q190 | J.H.S. 190 Russell Sage | 6-8 | 68-17 AUSTIN STREET | 11375 |
28Q196 | P.S. 196 Grand Central Parkway | PK-5 | 71-25 113 STREET | 11375 |
28Q196 | P.S. 196 Grand Central Parkway | PK-5 | 112-15 71 ROAD | 11375 |
28Q206 | P.S. 206 The Horace Harding School | PK-5 | 61-02 98 STREET | 11374 |
28Q220 | P.S. 220 Edward Mandel | PK-5 | 62-10 108 STREET | 11375 |
28Q303 | The Academy for Excellence through the Arts | PK-5 | 108-55 69 Avenue | 11375 |
28Q440 | Forest Hills High School | 9-12 | 67-01 110 STREET | 11375 |
28Q335 | Ezra Jack Keats Pre-K Center at 83-30 Kew Gardens Road | PK | 80-30 Kew Gardens Road | 11415 |
District 75
75Q177 | P177Q @ P139Q | D75 School | 93-06 63 DRIVE | 11374 |
75Q177 | P177Q @ J190Q | D75 School | 68-17 AUSTIN STREET | 11375 |
75Q255 | P255Q @ TOWNSEND HARRIS H.S. | D75 School | 149-11 MELBOURNE AVENUE | 11367 |
75Q721 | P721Q @ JOHN F KENNEDY JR SCHOOL | D75 School | 57-12 94 STREET | 11373 |
75Q993 | P993Q @ P499Q | D75 School | 148-20 REEVES AVENUE | 11367 |
75Q256 | P256Q @ P043Q | D75 School | 160 BEACH 29 STREET | 11691 |
75Q256 | P256Q @ P253Q | D75 School | 1307 CENTRAL AVENUE | 11691 |
District 79
79M645 | Coop Tech | D79 School | 8-21 BAY 25 STREET | 11691 |
79Q950 | Pathways to Graduation | D79 School | 8-21 BAY 25 STREET | 11691 |
79Q950 | Pathways to Graduation | D79 School | 15-44 Hassock Street | 11691 |
79K925 | YABC Programs – Brooklyn and Queens | YABC | 105-25 HORACE HARDING EXPY N | 11368 |
79Q950 | Pathways to Graduation | D79 School | 67 09 KISSENA BOULEVARD | 11367 |