#DOE refuses to reveal number of teachers, school workers sickened by coronavirus

The city Department of Education refuses to say how many teachers and other workers have fallen ill with COVID-19 — or even whether it’s keeping track of the pandemic’s impact on its staff.

The secrecy has exacerbated credibility issues in the agency that began at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, when the DOE failed to close schools and promptly inform employees about infected co-workers, insiders told The Post.

“The DOE has lost the trust of a lot of families and staff. A  key part of restoring that trust is transparency and not keeping information from people,” said teacher Liat Olenick.

“They absolutely should be tracking Covid cases among the staff, and sharing that information with the school community.”

As Chancellor Richard Carranza prepares for a full or partial reopening of school buildings this fall, he and his executive team should know how many employees have gotten sick and how many can safely return, staffers said.

“It would tell you about the condition of your workforce,” Manhattan teacher Ellen Schweitzer said. “While preserving privacy, there should be extensive tracking and contract tracing, especially when children are showing up.”

Without naming the fallen employees, DOE has tallied 79 killed by COVID-19 as of June 22, including 31 teachers and 28 paraprofessionals.

The DOE does not count a school nurse and 14 school safety agents because they were paid by other city departments, bringing the true total of school workers lost to 94.

The latest to die was Staten Island special-education teacher Melissa Marie Kruppa, 50.

After beating cancer diagnosed in 2018, Kruppa battled the coronavirus for 80 days before succumbing on June 20, her family said. She leaves a husband of 27 years, a son and a daughter.

Kruppa served 17 years at IS 24, where she started as a paraprofessional.

A former student remembered Kruppa, “Thank you for all the lunches in your office, help with homework in EVERY subject, and the endless love and care you showed for all your students.”

The DOE and City Hall have ignored repeated requests by The Post for the number of teachers and other school workers who have called in sick due to COVID-19. Other city agencies have released the number of infected workers.

Some schools are asking teachers — who have been working remotely since March 23 — whether their absences are due to COVID-19, documents obtained by The Post show.

But the DOE won’t say whether it’s keeping track of all those who have called in sick with the virus.

Meanwhile, a group of teachers has filed an “improper practice” charge against their union with the state Public Employee Relations Board for failing to represent them during the pandemic.

The United Federation of Teachers “halted indefinitely” the filing of more than 200 COVID-related grievances against the DOE for alleged health and safety violations, the group said in a statement.

“By keeping schools open and requiring staff in the buildings until March 19, the DOE endangered the lives of thousands of employees,” it said.

In response, the UFT said it suspended the teachers’ health and safety grievances stemming from March so that immediate issues involving remote instruction could be addressed first.

The postponed cases will resume on Oct. 1, a spokesperson said. “We are confident that PERB will recognize that all members’ rights have been preserved during this unprecedented crisis.”