Several teachers at five Yonkers schools have tested positive for COVID-19 since the school year began, according to the district.

So far, at least five teachers, staff members or administrators have come down with the virus at P.S. 13, P.S. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. High School and Roosevelt High School.

News 12 spoke by phone with Samantha Rosado-Ciriello, president of the Yonkers teachers union, who demanded the district do more to protect the health and safety of students and staff, as students prepare to return to the classroom on Oct. 5.

"We're calling on the district to close the buildings, go remote,” says Rosado-Ciriello. “Close the buildings so they can sanitize the buildings for 14 days. Have the teachers teach remotely while they do their contact tracing."

As the fate of the district’s more than 27,000 students hangs in the balance, P.S. 17 is being closed for two weeks. The other schools will remain open.