Fifty Department of Education employees have died from coronavirus, the DOE announced Monday.
The department is now tracking the number of reported fatalities after coming under intensifying pressure from educators, politicians and some members of the United Federation of Teachers.
Of the fatalities, 22 were paraprofessionals, 21 teachers, two administrators, one facilities staffer, one guidance counselor, one food service staffer, and two central office employees. One of these employees was also working at a Regional Enrichment Center, though the DOE didn’t specify which employee or where they were assigned.
The tracking will help the DOE “effectively deploy crisis support through guidance counselors and social workers remotely and when school buildings reopen,” said spokesperson Miranda Barbot in an email.
“This is painful news for too many of our communities—each number represents a life, a member of one our schools or offices, and the pain their loved ones are experiencing is unimaginable. We will be there to support our students and staff in any way they need, including remote crisis and grief counseling each day. We mourn these losses and will not forget the impact each person had on our DOE family,” said Chancellor Richard Carranza in a statement.
The cause of death in these reports have not been confirmed by the Department of Health to be related to COVID-19, the DOE said.
“The NYC Health Department cannot confirm the details or locations of exposure for every case, and is not confirming individual cases. This data should not be considered a subset of the Mayor’s daily briefings because those numbers are confirmed by the City’s Health Department,” Barbot said. “School buildings are not a place of greater exposure than any other part of our city. At this time, everyone should assume they have been exposed, because exposure can happen anywhere—this is why we are asking people to please stay home as much as possible.”
The fatality reports have come from family members and colleagues -- the DOE has also asked school principals to file reports in the Online Occurrence Reporting System.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has been blasted for keeping schools open until March 15th, and some critics have feared the DOE's slow and inconsistent response to outbreaks in schools have contributed to the pandemic's spread.
The DOE noted that the Regional Enrichment Centers, opened by the city to provide childcare for essential personnel after schools were closed, and the meal hubs providing grab-and-go meals are “thoroughly cleaned each night.”
The names of the dead have not been officially released, though informal memorials have surfaced online and the UFT has posted tributes on its website.
