The city Department of Education won’t say which schools have suffered COVID-19 deaths — but most of them worked in Brooklyn and the Bronx, The Post has found.
The DOE finally revealed last week that 50 employees — including 21 teachers and 22 paraprofessionals — have perished as of April 10.
But the department has refused to release their names or the schools where they worked. The DOE did not count school safety officers — at least eight of whom have died — because they are NYPD employees.
The Post confirmed many names and schools from various sources, including family accounts and tributes posted by the United Federation of Teachers, and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators, which represents principals and assistant principals.
Among the heart-breaking DOE losses is 91-year-old Rosario Gonzalez, a paraprofessional at P79 in East Harlem known for her enthusiasm and kindness.
“Rosario was everyone’s unofficial grandma” at the special-ed school, the UFT said. “She was loved by the staff and the children alike.”
The mother of five had 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Granddaughter Jasmine Gonzalez-Chavez teaches at PS 36 in the Bronx.
Of 28 deaths confirmed by The Post, 10 worked in Brooklyn and seven in the Bronx.
As coronavirus takes a mounting toll on the city’s public workers, NYCHA, the agency that runs the city’s public housing, said six of its workers have died and 267 have been infected by COVID-19.
UTF’s in memoriam for members lost during the coronavirus pandemic. Full list here: https://ufthonors.uft.org/in-memoriam/.UTF
The union representing NYCHA security officers, Teamsters Local 237, said that at least one had died, Thomas Beals.
NYC Health + Hospitals finally disclosed Friday that at least 26 employees in the public hospital system have died from the disease, but gave no details on what jobs they held or where they worked.
At least two Bellevue Hospital nurses have died, according to GoFundMe campaigns set up to help their families.
Ernesto DeLeon, a 30-year veteran of the hospital, was described as “an incredible inspiration and a mentor to hundreds of nurses, doctors and other clinical staff.”
Susan Sisgundo worked in Bellevue’s neonatal ICU and died April 8 after an eight-day battle with COVID-19, according to a GoFundMe page in her honor. She was one month shy of her 51st birthday, which she intended to celebrate with her family in her native Philippines.
In addition, a security officer for North Central Bronx Hospital, Lumuel Frazier, has died, Local 237 said.
The city Human Resources Administration, which runs homeless shelters, disclosed 17 workers have died and 91 tested positive for the virus.
Seven members of the Department of Health have perished, the agency said.
“One of the cruelest aspects of this pandemic is the risk it poses to those most committed to fighting it. As an agency we mourn the loss of our colleagues, who served to promote the health of New Yorkers,” Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said.
The MTA’s death toll has risen to 68 workers, spokeswoman Abbey Collins said Saturday. A total 2,496 workers have tested positive for COVID-19, and 4,365 are currently quarantined due to illness or exposure. Another 4,127 employees have returned to work after quarantines.
DOE dead
The following NYC educators and school staffers — with their schools identified — have died in the coronavirus pandemic:
Brooklyn
- Sharon Bascom, 61, teacher, PS 306
- Gilbert Constant, 48, paraprofessional, PS K811
- Rulx Dagus, 65, paraprofessional, P369@P67
- Magda Napoleoni, 54, paraprofessional, PS 298
- Kimarlee Nguyen, 33, ELA teacher, Brooklyn Latin
- Dez-Ann Romain, 36, principal, Brooklyn Democracy Academy
- Sandra Santos-Vizcaino, 54, teacher, PS 9
- Claudia Shirley, 67, teacher, PS 377
- Leslie Solius Verneret, 63, paraprofessional, PS 268
- Valerie Wilson, paraprofessional, PS K721
Bronx
- David Behrborn, 47, teacher, PS 55
- Paula Pryce Bremmer, 51, guidance counselor, Careers in Sports HS
- Omara Flores, 55, assistant principal, PS 95
- Carole King-Grant, 58, teacher, Science & Technology Academy
- Christopher Mondal, paraprofessional, PS 46
- Alyssa Pantilieris, 45, special-ed teacher, PS 15,
- Fatima Schmidt, 57, teacher, PS 333
Manhattan
- Rosario Gonzalez, 91, paraprofessional, PS 79
- Linda Pope, paraprofessional, PS 153
Queens
- Joseph Donofrio, school safety agent, PS 233Q
- Suzette Facey, school safety agent, JHS 226.
- Sabrina Jefferson, school safety agent, IS 8.
- Linosee Mosley, school safety agent, Bayside HS.
- Jarrod Sockwell, 38, paraprofessional, P256Q
- Robert Thoering, teacher, IS 125
Staten Island
- Sharon Kaufman, 63, special-ed teacher, PS 31
- Sharon Nearby, 52, teacher, IS 24
- Anton Updale, 53, teacher, IS 34
