Jordyn Marrone has spent a lot of time at her desk in her Queens bedroom. It’s where she learned remotely, for most of last year. 

She started the seventh grade hopeful her classes would all be in person this year.

“All my friends, I’m just so happy to see them. And I’m happy to see all my nice teachers and all my new teachers, they’re so nice. I was just so happy,” said Jordyn.

But just two weeks into the school year, Jordyn was forced to quarantine. Her mom Joann, says the school told her the class is quarantined due to a COVID-19 exposure. 

What You Need To Know

  • Joann Marrone says her daughter's 7th grade class was forced to quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure

  • Marrone says it conflicts with the city's new policy that says unvaccinated students will not have to quarantine if they are masked and socially distanced

  • The Department of Education says it works with schools to determine who is in close contact and everyone in the case who identified as a close contact was asked to quarantine

“Receiving that email that her classroom was closed was very confusing,” said Joann.

Marrone doesn’t understand why this happened, because just last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new Department of Education policy in regards to COVID exposure protocol.

“The unvaccinated students in the classroom will not have to quarantine, if they are masked and three feet distanced,” de Blasio told reporters at a September 20 briefing.

The policy went into effect on Monday, September 27. 

But the Marrone family got a notice — dated Monday, September 27 — that says, “According to health guidelines, your child must stay home for 10 days following the date of possible exposure and should not return to school until 10/4/2021."

Twelve-year-old Jordyn says she wasn't anywhere near other students and wore a mask at all times.

“We aren’t even allowed to have mask breaks. Only when we go to the cafeteria, you have to stay three feet apart at all times. And we follow that rule at all times,” said Marrone.

The DOE says it works with the school to determine who was in close contact and, of Marrone's class, everyone identified as a close contact was asked to quarantine.

If the case is a teacher, which is not clear in this situation, every student in the class should quarantine.

According to the Department of Education’s website, there are currently 380 classroom closures.