Follow-up Audit Report on the Safety Measures Implemented by the New York City Department of Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Audit Finding and Conclusion:

The objective of this audit was to determine the extent to which the seven recommendations issued in the 2021 audit report have been implemented.

This follow-up audit assessed the implementation of recommendations made in the Audit Report on the Safety Measures Implemented by the New York City Department of Education in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Audit #MH21-077A), issued on June 30, 2021. That audit was conducted to determine whether the Department of Education (DOE) established benchmarks for meeting standards of in-person instruction and assessed whether DOE monitored compliance with those standards. The audit found that although DOE had established such benchmarks, it had not produced sufficient evidence that it could reasonably ensure that the agency’s COVID-19 procedures were being carried out on a consistent basis, in hundreds of individual schools throughout the City.   The audit was particularly concerned with benchmarks related to cleaning, disinfection, and air quality.

Drawing from health protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and by New York State, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and DOE jointly created guidance for DOE’s schools to follow in preparing to offer in-person instruction.

This follow-up audit found that of the seven recommendations made in the initial audit, five are no longer applicable given the CDC’s relaxed restrictions relating to COVID-19 . Of the remaining two recommendations, one was implemented and one was in the process of being implemented.

Agency Response

In its response, DOE agreed with the audit’s determination that certain recommendations from the prior audit with which the agency disagreed were no longer applicable. In addition, while it disagreed with the new recommendation as stated in this report, it agreed to implement some aspects of that recommendation.