By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Boston, MA) –Nearly 60 school districts across Massachusetts received permission from the state education commissioner to delay the resumption of full-time, in-person learning for elementary school-age children, which the state set for April 5, authorities say.
The 58 districts that received a waiver include Brockton, Chelsea, Springfield, and Somerville. Commissioner Jeffrey Riley is still weighing the requests of 10 other districts, including Boston and Worcester — the two largest in the state — The Boston Globe reported.
“We are pleased that 90% of districts will have their elementary schools back fully in-person by April 5, with all elementary schools in the Commonwealth fully in-person by May 3,” Riley said in a statement Tuesday. “Bringing all our kids back to school is crucial for their educational progress, emotional and social well-being, and we will continue to work with districts to bring students back ahead of their waiver-approved return dates.”
The state has directed middle schools to fully reopen by April 28 and is still accepting waiver requests. A return date for high schools has not been scheduled.
Parents retain the right to keep their children in full-time distance learning for the remainder of the school year.
School districts granted the waivers welcomed the news.
“Delaying our transition to in-person learning until April 26 will give the Brockton Public Schools time to address our new transportation needs and to procure large tents so that we can host lunch periods outdoors,” said Jess Hodges, a Brockton schools spokesperson.
Not everyone was happy.
“It feels like they are playing with our kids’ future,” said Caitrin MacDonald, a mother of three children in Somerville. “This is politics over education.” MacDonald said she worries about her children falling behind in their classes and the toll of social isolation during the pandemic.