Education commissioner gets OK to force schools to reopen March 5, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' education commissioner has been given the greenlight to compel districts to return to in-person classes, roughly a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to shutter schools and switch to online classes. The Friday decision by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education follows Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's announcement earlier this week that teachers and other school employees will be eligible for coronavirus vaccinations starting next week. “Now is the time to begin moving children back to school more robustly,” Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said before the board's vote.