BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all schools closed for thee weeks Sunday as the state tries to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Baker said all elementary, secondary and private schools would suspend operations starting Tuesday through April 7. Special education facilities will remain open.
Baker said he is not calling for childcare centers to be closed at this time, but said facilities need to observe health guidelines. And he said parents need keep their children separate from others while they are home from school instead of having “free-for-all playdates.”
“We’re not doing our part to prevent the spread if a ton of kids are hanging out and playing video games and sharing snacks from one house to the next,” Baker said.
Boston students will be allowed to return to their classrooms Monday to get school supplies, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said while declaring a public health emergency Sunday, but two school campuses will remain closed because of coronavirus concerns.
Walsh said the Eliot campuses and McKinley campuses are still closed after a non-student in the Eliot network tested positive for the coronavirus and a non-student in the McKinley network is being tested for the virus. All other schools will be open Monday for students and parents to get belongings, medication and school supplies, and buses will operate on their normal schedules, Walsh said.
More than 70 percent of Boston students qualify for free meals distributed through school, and Walsh said that starting Tuesday parents will be able to pick up packaged meals every day from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Distribution centers will be based on residence, not school location, and will be updated on the city’s website, Walsh said.
“No child in the city of Boston will not be provided a meal if they want one,” Walsh said.
City officials are also working with internet providers to get free service for online learning and will provide a Chromebook to every student who needs one, Walsh said.
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