Live school updates: The latest on education and COVID-19 in Mass.
Here's what's going on in education related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wellesley High School confirms 6 new COVID-19 cases, will go fully remote through Thanksgiving (Nov. 11)
Wellesley High School has to return to remote learning for at least two weeks because of six new coronavirus cases confirmed at the school Wednesday. No other Wellesley schools are affected.
The superintendent of Wellesley Public Schools sent out a notice Wednesday evening, stating that the new cases are likely tied to separate cases in the last week. The school confirmed one case Tuesday and another Thursday, Nov. 5.
In-person classes at the high school are scheduled to return Tuesday, Dec. 1, after the already planned Thanksgiving break.
The high school is offering pick-up meal orders for students who need access to breakfast and lunch, and the entire athletics program is cancelled for the rest of the fall season.
“While we recognize that this news is disappointing, we are also reassured that we were able to identify these cases rapidly to stop any further transmission,” Superintendent Dr. David Lussier wrote. “It remains critical that we each do our part to stop the spread of the virus including wearing masks at all times, social distancing, hand washing, and avoiding gatherings. WPS will continue working in collaboration with the Wellesley Health Department to further assess this situation and determine any additional action steps.”
Fitchburg postpones hybrid learning again, this time until January (Nov. 10)
Hybrid learning in Fitchburg has once again been postponed, this time until the beginning of next year.In an announcement on Tuesday, school officials said students can now expect in-person classes to begin on Monday, Jan. 4.“Over the last three weeks, COVID-19 cases have increased from 16 to nearly 229 in the City of Fitchburg, and we recently learned of additional community-spread clusters,” the announcement said. Fitchburg had already postponed hybrid learning twice before. It was originally supposed to begin on Nov. 2, then to Nov. 9. Then it was set for Nov. 16.“We understand and recognize the frustration this prolonged hardship has placed on our students, families and staff over the last eight months,” school Superintendent Robert Jokela said. “Given the rapid rate of COVID-19 spread within our community, it is in the best interest of overall public health to delay the beginning of hybrid learning.”
Based on these recent talks and consultations with Fitchburg Health Board Director Steve Curry, the staff of the Contact Tracing Commission assigned to Fitchburg and Mayor Stephen DiNatale, we are officially postponing hybrid learning. pic.twitter.com/wZm5yJAbUU
— Fitchburg Schools (@FitchburgPS) November 10, 2020
Westwood High School goes remote for the week due to 5 student cases of COVID-19 (Nov. 9)
Five Westwood High School students have tested positive for the coronavirus after an outdoor Halloween party during which masks weren’t worn. As a result, the school will be remote this week.In addition to the five cases, there are 20 students in quarantine after being identified as close contacts, according to WHDH.Along with remote instruction, school sports are also canceled, the news station said.“We strongly recommend that parents have frank, honest conversations with their children about their social behavior over the last week, including attending indoor gatherings and socializing without following other required safety measures, such as mask-wearing,” a letter to parents and caretakers from Superintendent Emily Parks and school Principal Amy Davenport said, according to the news station.
Data shows higher infection rates among Northeastern University community than before (Nov. 9)
While Northeastern University’s seven-day positivity rate is just 0.118 percent, it’s higher than it has been in the past.The Huntington News, the university’s independent student newspaper, said that on Thursday, of the 5,524 tests conducted that day, 11 were positive. The positivity rate for that day was calculated at 0.2 percent, which is the second highest since the university’s testing program started.The seven-day positivity rate steadily went up last week, with Monday through Wednesday’s calculations each breaking the previous record, the newspaper reported.Last week’s education updates can be found here.
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