Kiryas Joel school appears to be open despite statewide order

While schools remain closed statewide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears classes are in session at United Talmudical Academy in the Hassidic Village of Kiryas Joel, where yeshiva students were seen inside classroom windows Tuesday without masks.

News 12 Staff

May 19, 2020, 9:16 PM

Updated 1,445 days ago

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While schools remain closed statewide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears classes are in session at United Talmudical Academy in the Hassidic Village of Kiryas Joel, where yeshiva students were seen inside classroom windows Tuesday without masks.
Other children were seen walking in with books or being dropped off by their parents. They were then turned away by several men outside who saw News 12 cameras.
One of the men told News 12 “the school is closed.”
A man outside the school, who identified himself as a parent, said it's open for tutoring and for children to collect their things.
United Talmudical Academy is a private school similar one in Brooklyn that was shut down on Monday for violating the public health order, keeping schools closed statewide. Sixty students were allegedly inside that building.
State police say they are not allowed inside the school to see how many students were there or why.
They say loopholes in the executive order make it difficult to enforce if a school claims they're open for child care, which is allowed during the pandemic.
So far, it's not clear if that's the case at United Talmudical Academy. News 12 tried but was unable to speak with Academy officials or the school district. News 12 also reached out to Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus for comment but has not heard back.
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