Important update on Sandy re closed & relocated schools!

UPDATE on Sunday evening 8:30 PM:    

The ENTIRE list of 101 schools that will be closed tomorrow Monday  Nov. 5 is here:  http://shar.es/G1oLa This is either because these schools are serving as shelters, are damaged from the storm, or still lack power.

• There are eight HS buildings that are currently serving as shelters where students should NOT come to school until at least Wednesday, when hopefully the shelters will have moved. Brooklyn Technical HS,  John Jay Educational Campus and FDR HS in Brooklyn; Graphic Communication Arts and George Washington Educational Campus in Manhattan; Hillcrest High School in Queens; and Tottenville HS and Susan E. Wagner HS in Staten Island. Check the  DOE page here for updates.

• The list of schools that are seriously damaged and their relocation sites is here: http://shar.es/G1WcN   Parents: please DO NOT send your child to any of these schools until Wednesday.  

• There is also a handy school finder on the DOE webpage where you can search your child’s school and see its status: http://shar.es/G11sE  

•  Many other schools are expected to be without heat on Monday. Bloomberg has said that you should send your children to school with a sweater, just in case. 
•   Subway restorations and disruptions are here.

• Transportation and school busing may be a problem; I am posting below what is now on the DOE website about this issue.  
• Tuesday is Election Day; there is NO school for any public school student.  A list of polling sites which have moved to new locations due to storm damage is here.
• For information concerning location of programs and options for students within District 75, call 212-802-1503.   

 Transportation for Staff and Students

• While every effort will be made to meet limited-time travel mandates, traffic jams and long rides are likely. Due to temporary arrangements resulting from Hurricane Sandy, please be aware of the following considerations for students with specialized transportation needs:
  
• There may be limited availability of mandated support staff such as paraprofessionals, attendants, and nurses
• Direct communications with buses will be limited
• It is possible that mandated medical equipment will be unavailable on some routes
• Schools should advise parents to expect extended call-hold times for OPT and customer service
• In cases where streets are impassable, pick-up locations may be changed
• High school students will receive free MetroCards so they can travel to their new school locations.

Principals should refer families with transportation issues to the OPT hotline: 718-392-8855 

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  Earlier message from Saturday Nov. 3:

I hope you are all recovering from Hurricane Sandy; I just got my power restored last night here in Greenwich Village, though there are still nearly one quarter of a million NYC residents and more than a million households in the tri-state area without power or heat. 

Immeasurable damage has occurred to people’s homes and even more tragically, lives have been lost, but I wanted to update you on new developments as regards the NYC public schools:

•  On Monday, most NYC public schools will resume classes.  However, there are 57 schools that have suffered “severe damage” according to the DOE, and have to be re-located to other buildings.  The list of schools that will be closed until further notice and their re-location sites are posted as an spreadsheet on the DOE website here.  For those who cannot access spreadsheets, I have also posted this list on my website as a word doc  and as a pdf.

• However, students in the closed schools will NOT be attending classes until Wednesday, to make sure that their new buildings are ready for them.   DOE says they will provide updates early in the week about transportation; teachers are expected at these new sites on Monday and Tuesday. 

All public schools are closed for classes on Tuesday for Election Day, as previously planned.

• There is another, even longer list of schools that as of last night (Friday) lacked power; many of them have had their power restored already but many have not. 

The list of schools that were undamaged but lacked power as of Friday (as a spreadsheet) is posted here.   As a pdf on my website, it is here.  Check back on the DOE website over the weekend for updates as to which of these schools may NOT be reopening on Monday.

 

I dearly hope you and your family members and loved ones are all safe and sound.  Please feel free to email me if you have questions about this, and I will try to find out answers for you.