german school student mask
The first NYC public school closed for two weeks because of the coronavirus.
Marijan Murat/picture alliance/Getty Images
  • A New York City high school closed for two weeks on Thursday because of two or more COVID-19 cases in the school community, as Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference.
  • The John F. Kennedy, Jr. high school is a school for students with disabilities in Queens.
  • A letter from the principal to members of the school community stated that the school’s main campus would be closed through October 13, with students learning remotely for the next two weeks. 
  • The announcement came on the same day New York City high schools and middle schools opened for in-person learning. 
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After months of remote learning, New York City public high schools and middle schools opened for in-person education on Thursday.

The day was treated as a milestone in New York’s coronavirus recovery by city officials, but one school in Queens wasn’t able to participate in the celebration. 

John F. Kennedy, Jr. high school closed on Thursday after two or more members of the school community tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter from the school’s principal. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio confirmed the news at a press conference.   

Other schools have been forced to close for a few days while cases of the virus are investigated, but John F. Kennedy, Jr. is the first campus that has had to close for two weeks since the new school year started.

A school must close when New York’s Test and Trace Investigators find two or more unconnected cases of the virus in one building, according to New York Daily News.

Bill De Blasio
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a news conference for the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at City Hall in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 17, 2020.
REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

John F. Kennedy, Jr. is a high school for students with disabilities, catering to students with autism, cognitive delays, language delays, and more, according to its website. The school will be closed through October 13, with approximately 262 students and 88 teachers and staff members returning to remote learning, according to De Blasio's statement at the press conference. 

"Everyone who was quarantined will come right back and we'll continue with the next 10 months of the school year," the mayor said of the closure during the press conference. 

The letter from the school's principal, Henry Renelus, stated that the school's main campus would reopen on October 14, and anyone who tests positive for the virus would not be able to return until they are no longer infectious. 

The letter also encouraged members of the school community to get tested frequently to prevent the spread of the virus.

New York City has over 1.1 million students in its school system. The city's current policy will keep students in school unless the city has over a 3% positivity rate in coronavirus cases. 

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