11 Wash Heights, Inwood Schools Dealing With COVID Cases: DOE

UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — One week after the city began vaccinating youngsters against COVID-19, more than 10 schools in Washington Heights and Inwood are still swept up in virus-prevention protocols, according to the Department of Education.

As of Wednesday evening, 11 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.

Partial quarantines

These schools were under partial classroom quarantines, in which only a subset of students in a classroom are required to quarantine while others can keep attending school.

Middle School 322: 4600 Broadway

• The Inwood school has two partial classroom quarantines, the first of which will last from Nov. 11 to 19, and the second from Nov. 12 to Nov. 20.

High School For Law and Public Service: 549 Audubon Avenue

• The uptown school has one partial classroom quarantine that will last from Nov. 12 to Nov. 20.

P.S. 115 Alexander Humboldt: 586 West 177th Street

• The uptown school has one partial classroom quarantine that will last from Nov. 15 to Nov. 22.

4 Schools that all share a building at 21 Jumel Place

• Four different schools that share one building at 21 Jumel Place are dealing with current partial classroom quarantines: KIPP Washington Heights Middle School, KIPP NYC Washington Heights Academy Charter School, Patricia Mirabel, and Maria Teresa.

P.S. 004 Duke Ellington: 500 West 160th Street

• The uptown school has one partial classroom quarantine that will last from Nov. 16 to Nov. 19.

Full Classroom Closures

A classroom closure takes place when a student, teacher, or another type of classroom-based educator tests positive, and it is ruled that the entire classroom needs to quarantine.

P.S. 152 Dyckman Vallue: 93 Nagle Avenue

• The Inwood school has one classroom closed, which is expected to reopen on Nov. 20.

P.S. 173: 306 Fort Washington Avenue

• The uptown school has two classrooms closed, with the first expected to reopen on Nov. 20 and the second on Nov. 22.

P.S. 128: 560 West 169th Street

• The Washington Heights school also has two classrooms closed, with the first expected to reopen on Nov. 18 and the second on Nov. 20.

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.

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

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.