These Queens Schools Reopened Today After State Rollback of COVID Restrictions

P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum in Kew Gardens Hills is one of several schools in Queens that reopened Monday (Google Maps)

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