More than 100 students on the North Shore had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to figures from the state’s Health Department.
Public school districts that were analyzed included the Port Washington school district, Roslyn school district, Sewanhaka Central High School District, Mineola school district, East Williston school district, Floral Park-Bellerose school district, Manhasset school district, New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school district, Herricks school district and the Great Neck school district.
Of the 108 students in the districts who have tested positive since the beginning of the school year, 28 were reportedly off-site, according to the state’s COVID-19 report card, which specifies whether a student, teacher or staff member has tested positive for the virus and if the person was on school grounds or not.
A total of 23 teachers or staff members in the districts had tested positive as of Wednesday, state figures showed. Of those 23, 19 tested positive on-site.
The district with the most confirmed cases for students and staff members was Port Washington with 24 students and five staffers testing positive. Port Washington Superintendent Michael Hynes sent a letter to parents in late October reminding them to monitor their children’s health on a consistent basis to prevent potential further exposure of the virus throughout the school district.
“I wish good health for your family and urge everyone in our school district to do their part to ensure the good health of our children, educators, and staff,” Hynes wrote. “Please, continue to monitor your child(ren) closely for any sign of potential illness and complete the District’s Student Health Screening each morning prior to the start of school.”
The Great Neck and Sewanhaka districts each had a total of 23 students and staffers test positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to state figures. Of the 20 students who tested positive in Great Neck, 19 were on-site cases.
“The health and safety of our students and staff is our number one priority,” Great Neck Superintendent Teresa Prendergast said in a notice to parents. “Thank you for your understanding and ongoing cooperation with our COVID-19 prevention policies and procedures. We will continue to closely monitor this situation and provide updates as needed.”
In Sewanhaka, 10 of the 19 total positive student cases were on-site, while the remaining nine were off-site, according to state figures.
“The Department of Health has advised us that the cleaning protocols that occur throughout the day and again in the evening are a best practice for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces,” Sewanhaka Superintendent James Grossane said in a letter. “We are extremely proud of our students throughout the district, and they have done an outstanding job with social distancing, hygiene, mask wearing, and acting in a responsible manner. As always, the health and safety of our students and staff is our foremost priority.”
The North Shore school district with 14, and the Roslyn and Mineola school districts, each with 11, were the only remaining areas with more than 10 confirmed cases from students and staffers in the area. The remaining school districts combined for 21 total confirmed cases of the virus, according to state figures.
Among the districts with five or fewer cases, Floral Park-Bellerose had one, the East Williston school district had three, Manhasset had four and New Hyde Park-Garden City had five.
For more information on how school districts and their schools are faring with the coronavirus, visit https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/home.
