Another 2 Bed-Stuy Schools Fall Under COVID Investigation: DOE

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Another two schools in Bed-Stuy have fallen under investigation by the city after multiple coronavirus cases were detected at the campus, according to the Department of Education.

Eagle Academy for Young Men II and Ocean Hill Collegiate Charter School — which share a campus on Herkimer Street — were marked as under investigation Wednesday on the DOE's interactive map detailing coronavirus cases across the city.

The campus is the second to fall under investigation in the last week after a similar outbreak at P.S. 308 Clara Cardwell, which also houses the EMBER Charter School for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation. The investigation at P.S. 308 wrapped up Monday without any further intervention.

At Eagle Academy, officials have detected at least 21 coronavirus cases across the two schools this week, according to the map.

The cases have led to five partial classroom closures at Ocean Hill Collegiate and 13 partial closures at Eagle Academy, meaning only a subset of students in each of the classrooms are required to quarantine while others can keep attending school, according to the map.

On top of the classroom closures, there were also two cases at Eagle Academy that required no intervention, meaning someone tested positive but was not exposed to the school community. Another case at Eagle Academy led to a non-classroom quarantine, meaning the person who tested positive does not typically work in a classroom, according to the map.

Under DOE guidelines, schools are only closed if an investigation reveals that there is widespread transmission in the school.

When asked for comment, an spokesperson for Ocean Hill told Patch their "primary focus continues to be health and safety of our students, staff and families."

"We are proud and grateful to all of them for following all of the local and national guidance and protocols around Covid to keep everyone safe," the spokesperson, Barbara Martinez, said.

The city's coronavirus rules have led to only six full school closures so far this year, far less than the hundreds of extended closures in the 2020-21 school year under previous guidelines.

Still, the number of investigations has ramped up in recent weeks. A total of 47 schools have been investigated this year for possible closure, including nine active investigations as of Wednesday according to the map.

Including Eagle Academy, four of those active investigations are at schools in Brooklyn.

They include P.S. 067 Charles A. Dorsey in Fort Greene, I.S. 98 Bay Academy in Sheepshead Bay and The Urban Assembly Unison School, which is found on the Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy border, according to the map.

Eagle Academy did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation.