At this time, there is no general vaccine mandate for students ages 5 or older attending public school. 

However, vaccinations are required for:

• DOE employees
• Students participating in high-risk sports and extracurricular activities
• City contracted child care and after school staff
• Charter school staff

DOE Employees

As of October 1, 2021, all Department of Education (DOE) employees — including teachers, principals, custodians, and all central office staff — must have submitted proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. DOE employees who have received only the first dose of a 2-dose vaccine as of October 1 are expected to receive the 2nd dose within 45 days of the first dose to remain compliant.

DOE staff must submit proof of vaccination at vaccine.schools.nyc.

Employees who are unable to comply with the COVID vaccination requirement because of medical or religious reasons may apply for a reasonable accommodation. The application and guidelines are available online. Learn more about applying for a reasonable accommodation.

High-Risk Sports and Extracurricular Activities 

COVID-19 vaccination is required for all students ages 5 and older participating in high-risk Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) sports and extracurricular activities.

High-risk sports include:

• Basketball
• Football
• Lacrosse
• Rugby
• Stunt (competitive cheerleading)
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

High-risk extracurricular activities include:

• Cheerleading 
• Chorus 
• Dance
• Music (Band & Orchestra) 
• Step 
• Theater 

PSAL participants are required to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the first day of competitive play, which varies by sport. Winter and spring PSAL participants have until the beginning of their seasons to be fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated participants can remove their masks while engaging in these activities.

Families can upload proof of students' vaccination status at vaccine.schools.nyc.

To find a vaccination site, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine page. Mobile vaccination sites will also be visiting schools and PSAL conditioning sites across the city this fall.

City Contracted Staff

As of September 27, City contracted child care and after school staff must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Some programs include:

• 3-K
• Pre-K
• EarlyLearn Program
• HomeBase Childcare
• Afterschool Programs
• Cornerstone Program
• Beacon Program

To find a vaccination site, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine page.

Charter School Staff

As of September 27, 2021, all charter school staff and teachers must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. All charter schools, including those located within DOE buildings, are covered by this mandate.

Private Schools

As of December 20, 2021, all employees at private schools, including yeshivas and Catholic schools, must have submitted proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. At this time there is no vaccine mandate for students attending private schools.

Learn more on the Private School Vaccine Mandate page.

Vaccine Mandate Violation

Visit the School COVID-19 Health and Safety Complaint page to report vaccine mandate violations in a public school.

Families are encouraged to record their student’s vaccination status in the DOE's COVID-19 Vaccination Portal at vaccine.schools.nyc.

Submitting this information will support New York City’s pandemic response and recovery efforts, and help ensure that DOE schools and buildings remain safe places for all students and staff.

Students and their families can access the Vaccine Portal with the student's DOE account login credentials (email and password).

The Vaccine Portal will ask you to:

• Identify the type of vaccine,
• Where you received it (in or out of New York City), and
• When you received the vaccine.

You will then need to upload an image or screenshot of the proof of vaccine. It can be an image of a vaccination card, NYS Excelsior Pass, or other government record.

The privacy and security of your information will be protected by technical, physical, and administrative safeguards, including encryption. This information will be kept confidential in accordance with federal, state, and local laws. 

Learn more about the Vaccination Portal.

Learn more about DOE Student Accounts.

Technical Support

You can get assistance by phone if you are having technical issues with the Vaccination Portal.

All schools are required to follow health and safety protocols to prevent, identify, and address the spread of COVID-19.

Schools will also:

• Promote healthy behaviors such as physical distancing, wearing face coverings, handwashing, and using sanitizer
• Distribute self-test kits to students and staff who show symptoms of COVID-19
• Clean the school throughout the day and disinfect every night
• Maintain an isolation room for students with symptoms with a dedicated staff member or health professional
• Communicate clearly with families and the school community
• Have a nurse in every public school building
• Have biweekly COVID-19 testing for a random selection of unvaccinated students

Get the latest COVID-19 health and safety information for public schools.

Download the DOE health and safety guide.

Families with questions about DOE health and safety protocols can contact their school directly. Feedback about changes to these protocols can be emailed to FACE@schools.nyc.gov.

Daily Health Screenings

Every student and staff member must complete the DOE Online Health Screening Tool prior to entering the school building each day. Anyone entering the building must confirm that they are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have not recently tested positive for COVID-19, and are not currently required to quarantine based on close contact with an infected person. If you need a thermometer to check for a fever, you can request one from your school.

If you are having issues accessing the online tool, use a paper form or inform school staff verbally.

If a student or staff member is feeling ill, they must stay home and get tested, which is an effective way of protecting the whole school community. Every school will have a nurse on staff to whom students can report if they are feeling ill.

Face Covering Rules

As of Monday, March 7, 2022, face coverings are optional on school grounds (both indoor and outdoor) and on school buses for students and staff in kindergarten through grade 12. Anyone who chooses to wear a mask may continue to do so, and your child may request a mask from their school if they need one. 

The indoor mask mandate remains in effect for LYFE, EarlyLearn (Infants & Toddlers), 3-K, Pre-K, and 4410 classrooms. Children two years old and older, and all staff in these classrooms, must continue to wear a face covering indoors since children under the age of five are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. Students who are not medically able to tolerate masks will be provided with alternative accommodations.

Masks are strongly recommended for any staff member or student who knows they have been exposed to COVID-19 within the previous 10 days. Mask wearing is still required in medical rooms and nurses' offices, as well as in School Based Health Centers.

COVID-19 Cases in Schools

Daily COVID Case Map

You can view a map that shows all known active interventions and cases of COVID-19 at New York City public schools. It is updated Sunday through Friday at 6 PM.

View the daily COVID case map.

Quarantine and School Closure Protocols 

If there is a positive case in a classroom, students who were in close proximity to these students will no longer have to quarantine and will continue attending school if they do not have symptoms and do not have a positive test result from a COVID test. These students will be sent home with a self test kit and should follow the instructions for testing at home.

Schools will be closed only when it is determined by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) that there is widespread transmission in the school.

If you have questions or concerns about quarantine protocols, contact your child's school. Visit the School Finder page for school contact information.

School Visitor Policy

All visitors (age 12 and older) must show proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination and wear a face covering to enter a DOE building. Visitors do not include students attending school in a DOE building. 

The following are acceptable as proof of COVID-19 vaccination:​

• CDC Vaccination Card (or photo)
• NYC Vaccination Record (or photo)
• An official immunization record from outside NYC or the U.S (or photo)
• Excelsior Pass App
  • Android
  • iOS
• NYC COVID Safe App
  • Android
  • iOS
• DOE COVID-19 Vaccine Portal (vaccine.schools.nyc)

An acceptable COVID-19 vaccination includes one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine fully authorized or authorized for emergency use by the FDA or WHO.

To learn more about vaccination records, visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Record page.

COVID-19 Health and Safety Complaints

To report a school not following COVID-19 health and safety rules, including lack of face coverings or vaccine mandate violations, visit the School COVID-19 Health and Safety Complaint page.

The in-school testing program tests the number of students at each school that is equivalent to either 20% of the unvaccinated student population or 10% of student enrollment of grades 1 through 12 (up to a maximum of 250 students), whichever is higher. Testing includes both consented vaccinated and consented unvaccinated students.

If you already submitted a COVID-19 testing consent form during the last school year or summer, you will need to do so again for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Families are encouraged to submit the consent form for testing, regardless of their child's vaccination status.

There are two ways to submit the form:

• You can complete the consent form on your child's NYC Schools Account.
• Print and sign the form and bring it to your child’s school on the first day they are back in the school building. Printable consent forms are available online in ten languages. 

If your child is tested, your school will let you know they were tested and when and how you will receive the results, which are usually available within 48-72 hours.

If you do not want your child to participate in random surveillance testing, do not submit consent.

Learn more about school-based COVID-19 testing.

You can also email questions to Covid19SchoolTesting@schools.nyc.gov.

To support remote learning and help students stay connected during emergencies, the DOE provided internet-enabled iPads to public school students in New York City. All iPads were granted on a temporary basis and will later need to be returned.

DOE is no longer providing iPads.

Get answers to some remote learning device (iPad) questions.

Returning a DOE iPad

If the student is returning to a DOE school, DOE Pre-K or 3-K program, or are participating in a DOE program in a non-public or charter school (either for blended or remote learning), you do not need to return the iPad to DOE at this time. 

If the student is not returning to a DOE school or program, the borrowed iPad must be returned to DOE. You can bring the iPad back to the last DOE school the student attended. Make sure to give it to the Principal, Assistant Principal, Parent Coordinator, School Point of Contact for Technology (SPOC) or other person at the school who is in charge of technology. 

Learn more about returning an iPad.

Get Help

You can get help with DOE iPads, including but not limited to:

• Setting up the device
• Accessing applications
• Technical issues
• Internet connection issues
• iPad delivery status
• Connectivity issues in temporary housing

Parking is allowed in school zones when school is in recess. However, you should be aware that specific schools may be open on holidays and during summer vacations. Parking restrictions would remain in effect.

Parking restrictions remain in effect while schools are doing remote learning.

Also, when schools are open for summer sessions, teacher meetings, or similar activities, the parking regulations apply on such days, even if students aren't attending.

You should contact the specific school to verify that it's in recess.