21 New York City teachers have died of coronavirus, Department of Education says
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) said Monday that 50 of its employees, including 21 teachers, have died from coronavirus. The deaths were reported by the deceased's families and loved ones, DOE said.
The DOE said they died between March 16 and April 10 across the five boroughs in New York City.
"This is painful news for too many of our communities — each number represents a life, a member of one of our schools or offices, and the pain their loved ones are experiencing is unimaginable," New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in a statement. "We will be there to support our students and staff in any way they need, including remote crisis and grief counseling each day. We mourn these losses and will not forget the impact each person had on our DOE family."
The DOE also reported the deaths of 22 paraprofessionals, two administrators, two central office employees, a facilities staffer, a guidance counselor and a food service staffer.
The DOE said the deaths have not been confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH) as related to COVID-19. The DOH is not confirming individual cases.
The United Federation of Teachers, the union that represents most public school teachers in New York City, posted memorial messages on its website about educators lost during the pandemic. The site remembered teachers such as David Behrom, who taught at a Bronx school and organized the "Olympic Games" – an event where all students come together through athletic activities. The memorial page also celebrates the lives of paraprofessionals like Rosario Gonzalez, who was "everyone's unofficial grandmother" and rarely missed a day of work at P79, a school in Manhattan, according to the website.
Brooklyn principal Dezann Romain, 36, was the first known public school staff member to die of coronavirus. She was remembered for pushing students to "think outside the box and color inside the lines."
"This is about people who are beloved in their school communities and have done so much good, and now they're gone," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
The deaths come as de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo have been going back and forth over the status of school closings. De Blasio over the weekend said schools would stay closed for the rest of the academic year while Cuomo said the timeline is still being decided.
New York City has been one of the hardest hit cities in the pandemic. As of Monday, 106,813 have tested positive for the virus, according to the latest data from the city. More than 6,100 have died.
