WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 13, 2022 17
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Catholic schools receiving take-home rapid COVID tests for students
BY ISABEL SONG BEER
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
As New York City offi cials work
to fi nd solutions to keep schools
safe and open during the COVID
19 pandemic, Catholic schools are
working to do the same.
On Jan. 6, Dr. Thomas Chadzutko Superintendent
of Schools for the Diocese
of Brooklyn announced that Catholic
schools in Brooklyn and Queens would
be sending students home with rapid athome
COVID tests.
“Catholic schools and academies
throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn,
which includes Brooklyn and Queens,
have received a supply of at-home
COVID tests from New York City and
are awaiting a delivery from New York
state,” Chadzutko said. “Our schools
will begin distribution upon further
information from the Department of
Health to ensure the most effi cient use
of the test kits for our school families.”
And as the omicron variant continues
to spread like wildfi re throughout the
city, Catholic schools across the city
are moving to protect their students
and faculty.
As we now enter the second year of
the pandemic, educators and faculty
alike are “all weary of the COVID-19 pandemic
and all the accompanying impositions
on our personal lives as well as the
requirements on our schools in order
to remain open safely, as they have
since the beginning of this pandemic,”
Michael J. Deegan, superintendent of
schools within the Archdiocese of New
York, said in a statement on Jan. 2.
Since Nov. 3, 2021, children ages 5
to 12 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Both the archdiocese and diocese
are encouraging parents to get their
children vaccinated so they may safely
attend in-person classes.
“The experts of the Health and
Safety Tasks Force of the Office of
the Superintendent of Schools are
evaluating all of the new guidance and
information about quarantine, isolation,
close contacts, testing and the associated
timelines for each,” Deegan said.
“While we understand that some want
the policies implemented overnight, as
we have always done, our response will
be thoughtful, intentional and always
made in the best interest of all of those
in our school communities.”
In the interim, Catholic schools
continue set up additionally infrastructure
to protect their students and staff
members, following Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) guidelines, administrators
remind those attending school in
person that their schools keep everyone
safe.
“We will continue to require temperature
checks, face coverings, physical
distancing and enhanced ventilation
processes in all of our school buildings,”
Deegan said. “As municipalities
and health organizations struggle to
stock up on these much sought-aft er
kits, we hope our distribution of tens
of thousands of test kits will provide
some small measure of comfort in
knowing you will have these crucial
tools in your home when you are exposed
to COVID.”
Photo by Andrew Kelly/REUTERS
ST. SEBASTIAN CATHOLIC ACADEMY
Serving the Parishes of Queen of Angels, BVM Help of Christians, St. Teresa, and St. Sebastian
REGISTRATION OPENS IN FEBRUARY!
Students K-8 may be
eligible for tuition
FREE 3K and Universal Pre-K for All.
Fee-based after school program for 3K - Grade 5
FREE afterschool for students in 6, 7 & 8 sponsored by
Maspeth Town Hall.
We are following all of the protocols for COVID-19 safety:
• Social distancing and mandatory mask-wearing.
• Daily temperature check and health screening.
• Staggered arrival and dismissal schedule.
• Frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces.
• Air Purifiers in every classroom.
assistance
Visit our website for a
VIRTUAL TOUR
or view our admission process
www.stsebastianacademy.org
Call us to schedule an information session.
(718) 429-1982
Admissions and Enrollment Instructions are available on our website:
www.stsebastianacademy.org
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