#Teachers refuse to work inside Queens school after colleague gets coronavirus

Enlarge Image

Teachers working outside IS 230 in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Twitter

Teachers at a Queens school refused to work indoors Friday after a colleague tested positive for coronavirus.

Staffers at IS 230 said that they opted to stay out of their building because proper testing and tracing procedures were not followed after the case was confirmed.

“The school found out yesterday, but only told us this morning,” one school employee told The Post. “There will be a picket line on Monday. I don’t think we are ready to open.”

While the United Federation of Teachers has stated that it expects sporadic cases of coronavirus to emerge as teachers return to buildings, officials have questioned Department of Education adherence to response protocols.

UFT boss Michael Mulgrew said Thursday that teacher COVID-19 test results were not being produced quickly enough.

Teachers at the Jackson Heights school said Friday that testing and tracing practices were implemented long after the coronavirus case was confirmed and that they did not feel safe.

A DOE spokesperson said disputed their timeline.

“As soon as we were made aware of a potential case, we notified staff while working to get confirmation,” said spokesperson Miranda Barbot. “Since last night, this case has been confirmed, an investigation completed, and multiple individuals will be quarantining. We are sending an update to staff shortly.”

The UFT backed the educators after they opted to stay in front of the school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A district superintendent allowed them to then work remotely during the afternoon.

As of Thursday, 16 teachers from separate schools tested positive for COVID-19 out of 15,000 checked for the virus.

Roughly one in five city teachers will work from home this upcoming year after receiving coronavirus health exemptions.