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Last month, parts of New Rochelle were designated as a “yellow zone” COVID-19 hotspot, which required four of the district’s schools to comply with COVID-19 testing for 20 percent of the in-person population to remain open.
Schools located within a yellow or orange zone are required to randomly select 20 percent of the in-person students, faculty, and staff to be voluntarily tested for surveillance of the school community’s positivity rate.
A school in a red zone has to test 30 percent of students and staffers.
The schools located in the “yellow zone” in New Rochelle are Isaac E. Young Middle School, Columbus, Trinity, and Webster elementary schools.
On Friday, interim Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero announced that as of Wednesday, Dec. 9, testing was completed, and a total of 40 of the 41 tests collected were negative for COVID-19, with the only positive coming from Trinity Elementary School.
With no positive tests in the elementary school, they’ve been given the green light at Isaac E. Young, Columbus, and Webster to remain open and to stop mass testing. Trinity will be required to continue testing for an additional two weeks before re-evaluating the school’s circumstances.
“The district is committed to providing in-person instruction for students when health and safety conditions permit,” Marrero said in a notice to parents on Friday. “There is nothing more valuable to children's academic and social-emotional growth than being in a class with their teachers and peers, and receiving vital support services as needed.
“Students and staff are safe in our school buildings because of our continuing mitigation measures,” Marrero continued. “These include completing your student’s health screening as directed and temperature checks before and upon school arrival, face-covering requirements, social distancing, and the ongoing cleaning of school facilities.”
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