The guidance says districts and schools must continue "core mitigation strategies" including indoor masking, physical distance and strong hand hygiene for the remainder of this school year. When the state lifts most COVID-19 restrictions this Saturday, students and staff will still need to wear masks inside.
BOSTON â With nearly every public school in Massachusetts again offering full-time in-person learning as the second school year shaded by the coronavirus pandemic winds down, state education officials are making plans to ensure that kids aren t falling behind.
Meanwhile, some parents are concerned about the impacts mandated masking and other COVID-19 restrictions have on students wellness.
Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said Tuesday that all elementary and middle schools in Massachusetts are now offering full-time in-person learning and 99 percent of high schools met his deadline of May 17 to do the same. In March, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to give Riley the authority to decide when full and partial remote schooling would no longer count toward student learning time requirements amid the administration s push to get more kids back into classrooms.
A quarter of parents surveyed in a new poll said they planned to send their child to summer school this year if given the option, and more than half said