16 Bed-Stuy Schools Dealing With COVID-19 Cases: DOE

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — One week after the city began vaccinating youngsters against COVID-19, 16 schools in Bed-Stuy are still swept up in virus-prevention protocols, according to the Department of Education.

As of Friday morning, 14 schools in the neighborhood had imposed either partial quarantines or full classroom closures due to coronavirus exposure, according to the interactive map from the Department of Education. A 15th and 16th school had non-classroom quarantines, meaning a staff member who doesn't typically work in a classroom had been exposed or tested positive, according to the map.

Four of the schools, two of which share a building, had full classrooms closed while most had only partial closures, meaning only a subset of students in a classroom are required to quarantine while others can keep attending school.

The positive cases come as Bed-Stuy finally hits the 50-percent full vaccination rate for all ages. Parts of the neighborhood have struggled with some of the lowest vaccine rates in the city.

Here's where the school cases were in Bed-Stuy:

• Ocean Hill Collegiate Charter School:
  • A partial classroom quarantine is in place between Nov. 16 and 22.
• Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology:
  • A non-classroom quarantine is in place between Nov. 19 and 26.
• P.S. 021 Crispus Attucks:
  • Five partial classroom quarantines are in place, all but one of which will end on Nov. 20.
• P.S. 262 El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Elementary School:
  • A partial classroom quarantine is in place from Nov. 11 to 19.
• La Cima Charter School:
  • A full classroom closure is in place from Nov. 13 to 20.
• Bedford Stuyvesant Collegiate Charter School:
  • A full classroom closure and two partial classroom closures are in place. The school shares a building with La Cima.
• EMBER Charter School for Mindful Education, Innovation and Transformation:
  • A full classroom closure and a partial classroom closure are in place, both ending Nov. 19.
• Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy Charter School:
  • Three partial classroom quarantines are in place, all ending Nov. 19 or 20.
• P.S. 081 Thaddeus Stevens:
  • A partial classroom closure is in place between Nov. 19 and 26.
• P.S. 059 William Floyd:
  • A partial classroom closure is in place between Nov. 17 and 26.
• Success Academy Charter School on Park Avenue:
  • A partial classroom quarantine is in place from Nov. 12 to 20.
• P.S. 297 Abraham Stockton:
  • A non-classroom quarantine is in place until Nov. 26. P.S. 297 shares a building with Success Academy.
• Bedford Academy High School:
  • Three partial classroom quarantines are in place, all ending Nov. 27.
• Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School:
  • Two partial classroom quarantines are in place, one ending Nov. 20 and the other Nov. 22.
• P.S. 003 The Bedford Village:
  • Three classrooms are closed, one until Nov. 20 and two until Nov. 25.
• Leadership Prep Bedford Stuyvesant Uncommon Prep Charter School:
  • Five partial classroom closures are in place. All are ending between Nov. 19 and Nov. 22.

Once a common headache for parents, full school closures have become far less common this year thanks to a revised policy by the DOE.

The vaccine rollout for children aged 5-11 began last Monday thanks to federal approval. Some school-based vaccination sites were quickly plagued by long lines and supply shortfalls — though Mayor Bill de Blasio chalked that up as a positive sign of strong interest.

"We have been pleasantly surprised at how big the response has been at the school level," he said last week. About 17,000 kids got their shots over the first three-day period.

The vaccine sites will be set up again at New York City public schools for second doses later this month.

Book a vaccine appointment at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov, or for state-run sites, ny.gov/vaccine.

Patch reporters Nick Garber and Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.