FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 19, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 25
Catholic Schools
Brooklyn and Queens Catholic schools set to implement
COVID-19 safety protocols when schools reopen in September
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Offi ce of the Superintendent
of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of
Brooklyn, which includes 69 elementary
schools in Brooklyn and Queens,
announced that COVID-19 safety protocols
will be in place when schools open on
Wednesday, Sept. 8.
In the absence of a mandate, the New
York State Department of Health recommends
school districts adopt universal
indoor masking for all based on guidance
from the American Academy of Pediatrics
and the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Th erefore, Catholic academies and parish
schools in Brooklyn and Queens will
require all students, faculty and staff members
to wear masks beginning on the fi rst
day of school.
Additionally, school offi cials will continue
to encourage vaccinations, social distancing,
hand washing and hand hygiene.
Schools will maintain the rigorous daily
cleaning and sanitizing of facilities, and
they’ll use enhanced ventilation.
Parents will be reminded to keep their
child home from school if they are sick,
and their child will be required to receive
medical clearance from a health care
provider so that they can safely return to
in-person instruction.
Th e Catholic academies and parish
schools will also continue to follow city
and state guidelines regarding contact tracing,
quarantine and isolation protocols.
“As the numbers of coronavirus cases
continue to spike in children, and the
overall numbers of hospitalizations in
New York City are on the rise, this is
the most responsible approach to take
when we begin the new school year,” said
Superintendent Dr. Th omas Chadzutko.
“I know the return to these safety measures
is not the situation parents, teachers
or students were hoping for in the 2021-
2022 school year, but we cannot ignore
the trends.”
According to Chadzutko, if the schools
are successful in preventing a further
increase of cases as the academic year
moves along, they will revisit the guidelines
and adjust them accordingly.
“As much as we want a return to normalcy
in our classrooms, we want our
students, faculty and staff to be safe,”
Chadzutko said.
While he has received his vaccine and
continues to encourage others to do so
as well, Nicholas DiMarzio, bishop of
Brooklyn, said it is their hope that the
COVID-19 vaccines will help bring an
end to “this terrible virus that has controlled
our lives for much of the past year
and a half.”
Catholic schools in Brooklyn and
Queens, in adherence to strict guidelines,
opened on time for the 2020-21 school
year, and were able to off er fi ve-day-aweek
instruction. Enrollment increased in
nearly 40 percent of the schools last year
in grades K-8.
To learn more about Catholic
Schools in Brooklyn and Queens, visit
catholicschoolsbq.org.
“I know the return to these safety measures
is not the situation parents, teachers or students
were hoping for in the 2021-2022 school
year, but we cannot ignore the trends.”
— Superintendent Dr. Thomas Chadzutko
Photo via Getty Images
/catholicschoolsbq.org
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
