10 NYC school buildings to undergo ventilation repairs before reopening

Ventilation repairs at schools

The New York City Education Department is keeping 10 facilities closed so that the ventilation systems can be repaired.

NEW YORK - New York City's Department of Education will delay reopening 21 schools to teachers and staff for a few days while crews repair ventilation systems in the 10 educational buildings housing those schools.

"Since June 3rd, we’ve been surveying, assessing, repairing, and improving buildings to guarantee proper ventilation, which is defined as the free flow of fresh air in and out of a space, and can, in the vast majority of cases, be achieved by having an open window," spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said in a statement.

Teachers and staff are set to return to work on-site to prepare for in-person classes. Students are expected to return to classrooms on Sept. 21. The city's school system will conduct a combination of in-person classes and remote learning.

Independent engineers were hired to do "building walkthroughs" and assess 1,485 buildings used by the school system. Based on those inspections, the DOE slated 10 buildings for repairs.

"In the meantime, staff of these 10 buildings will temporarily work from home, and we are identifying alternative space for learning if necessary if repairs are not completed by Sept. 21," Styer said.

He added that facilities staff will also install portable HEPA filters in rooms, flush air two hours before and after occupation, and upgrade existing air filters where needed.

NYC public schools delay start of in-person classes to Sept. 21

The city's plan to restart schools includes requiring everyone to wear masks, staggering schedules to reduce the number of students in rooms, supplying every school building with a nurse, and asking all staff to get tested for COVID-19 shortly before school starts. The mayor and schools chancellor are also encouraging principals to find ways to hold classes or other activities outdoors whenever possible.

These are the 10 buildings and the 21 schools affected:

Building K045

P.S. 45 – Horace E. Greene School

Building K842

P.S. 45 – Horace E. Greene School (Annex Building)

Building M490: Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Campus

The Maxine Greene HS for Imaginative Inquiry
Urban Assembly School for Media Studies
High School for Law, Advocacy and Community Justice
High School of Arts and Technology
Manhattan / Hunter Science High School
Special Music School

Building M883

P.S. M721 – Manhattan Occupational Training Center
Harvest Collegiate High School

Building M894

Leadership and Public Service High School

Building Q222

P.S. Q222 – Fire Fighter Christopher A. Santora School

Building Q315

The Riverview School
P.S. 110

Building M340

P.S. M094
Sixth Avenue Elementary School

Building M620: Norman Thomas High School building

Success Academy Charter School – Harlem 1
Success Academy Charter School – Harlem 3
Manhattan Academy for Arts and Language
Murray Hill Academy
Unity Center for Urban Technologies

Building M833

High School of Economics and Finance

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