Although the Department of Education has made an effort to keep schools safe, COVID-19 cases are being reported in many schools, including our own, as we make progress toward normalcy after a year of uncertainty. 

As of October 4th, all DOE staff needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This mandate and others have all been implemented to further slow the spread of the virus in schools.

These measures have been fairly effective, and the main issue in the DOE’s COVID-19 policies is the protocol, or lack thereof, if a student or staff member tests positive. According to the New York City Department of Education website, “As of Monday, September 27, the DOE no longer automatically closes an entire classroom when there is a positive student case in that class.”

Ms. Bonanni, a WJPS teacher said, “As more and more students become vaccinated, changing the protocols isn’t a horrible thing. Of course I’m always worried, but I trust the science and hope that eventually a mandate is put in place to keep our students even more safe.”

“I personally think the old protocol was better, it just seems safer. But it’s comforting that there’s so much testing and pretty consistent mask-wearing though,” stated Isabella Brosi, an 11th grader at WJPS in regards to changing protocols. 

“More Deep Cleaning at School Buildings” by Phil Roeder is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0