#NYC schools see record number of new COVID cases

City schools set a new record for COVID cases Wednesday as the Department of Education knocked down talk of a systemwide shutdown.

The DOE logged a total of 546 new positive coronavirus cases — 384 students and 162 teachers.

That’s the highest number this year so far, surpassing the prior record of 518 total cases on Dec. 7.

Wednesday’s tally was more than double than a month ago, when tests turned up 182 infections, according to city figures.

Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged the rise in school infections Thursday, but said the system was stable.

“I’m happy to say even though we’re dealing with a real challenge we have about 1,600 schools — only one is closed,” he said at an unrelated press conference. “The schools are markedly in better shape by far than the rest of the city.”

A total of 877 classrooms are currently shuttered due to COVID infections, also a yearlong high.

That measure requires all students in impacted classrooms to enter quarantine — meaning thousands of city kids were temporarily unable to attend school as of Wednesday.

There have been 4,206 classrooms closed this academic year to date. In addition, there are currently 2,026 partial classroom closures in effect. In those cases, only unvaccinated students are required to quarantine.

In a Tuesday email to senior DOE administrators, the Office of the First Deputy Chancellor reiterated the need to prepare for limited closures given the case spike.

That alert prompted some city principals to send out letters to parents and staff to prepare for possible disruptions — and spurred speculation of a systemwide shuttering.

The Office of the First Deputy Chancellor sent out another internal email Thursday to quell those concerns.

“For clarity, there is not plan for a systemwide school closure and pivot to remote learning, and the reminder email sent on Tuesday to Executive Superintendents and Superintendents was not meant to serve as an indicator of an impending systemwide school closure,” the email stated.

Some school leaders have been preparing parents for possible closures this week.

“We are doing everything we can to keep your children safe and to keep our school open for all,” wrote a Tribeca principal to parents Wednesday. “However, we have been instructed by the DOE to plan for the possibility of immediate partial classroom closings, full classroom closings, or full school closings.”

Some administrators are also urging staff members to ensure that they are ready for COVID closures.

“As we discussed at the beginning of the year, everyone must have a contingency plan in place in the event of whole classroom/school closures,” one city principal wrote to staffers Wednesday afternoon. “Please review the attached set of questions with your leadership team to ensure you are best prepared.”

Another city principal urged parents to request devices for remote learning purposes if they don’t already have one.

“With COVID cases on the rise, I want all families to be prepared for remote instruction in the event of a lockdown,” the administrator wrote.