Massachusetts schools had 476 student and staff COVID cases in past week as educators get green light for vaccines Updated Mar 04, 2021; A total of 476 COVID-19 cases, among 343 students and 133 staff members, have been reported by Massachusetts schools to education officials in the past week. Those cases, identified from Feb. 25 to March 3, include 335 student cases and 127 staff cases at local school districts, five student cases and five staff cases at education collaboratives, and three student cases and one staff case at approved special education schools, according to a weekly report from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The coronavirus case report from DESE comes out each Thursday and includes cases from students or staff members who tested positive within seven days of being inside a school building.