Brooklyn teacher dies with coronavirus
Sandra Santos-Vizcaino (from Facebook)
NEW YORK - Sandra Santos-Vizcaino, who taught third grade at an elementary school in Prospect Heights Brooklyn, is the first New York City school teacher reported to have died of COVID-19.
“This is a devastating tragedy,” schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said Thursday. “Sandra was a beloved teacher at P.S. 9.”
Santos-Vizcaino, 54, was a more than 20-year veteran of the city’s school system. She was recognized for her contributions to education in the Dominican Republic and won a grant to study bird sanctuaries there in 2009.
The principal of PS9 wrote a letter to parents and students saying: "This is a tragedy for the PS9 students, staff and the entire school community."
“The notion that we’ve lost a teacher is very painful,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “We lost a principal last week, a young woman full of extraordinary promise.”
She is survived by her husband and two children.
Brooklyn principal Dez-Ann Romain was the first city education employee reported to have died of the virus.
Students in New York City haven't been to school since March 13.