68 NYC Teachers And School Staffers Have Died Due To Coronavirus

NEW YORK CITY — The Department of Education reports that 68 New York City teachers and other school staff members have died due to the new coronavirus.

Among those who have died are 28 teachers, 25 paraprofessionals, two guidance counselors, and two cafeteria workers. 65 of the victims worked in schools or directly with children and three were employees at the Department of Education's central office.

The new numbers mark an increase of 8 deaths since the DOE's last report on April 17, and 18 new deaths since mid-April.

There has been some confusion regarding the tally released on April 17. The DOE says that three deaths they reported during that weekly update were actually not due to the coronavirus, but because of other factors. Those three, a teacher and two paraprofessionals, have been removed from the current total coronavirus death count.

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In total, the deaths due to the coronavirus can be broken down as:

• 28 teachers
• 25 paraprofessionals
• 2 administrators
• 2 facilities staffers
• 2 school aides
• 2 guidance counselors
• 2 food service staffers
• 1 parent coordinator
• 1 School Computer Technology Specialist

The Department of Education's report does not include the deaths of those who work in schools but are not DOE employees, like school safety agents or volunteers.

Schools across New York City have been closed since March 16 in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

In other school news, Tuesday Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that only public high school students will receive letter grades for the spring semester, and officials say grades are being reworked to reflect the fact that students have had to take their classes remotely during the pandemic.

Read more: NYC Scratches Letter Grades For Lower, Middle School Students