BOSTON (WHDH) - Whether Massachusetts school districts adopt in-person, remote, or a hybrid method of learning this fall, a return to the “classroom” will undoubtedly be different amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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The deadline for districts to submit preliminary reopening plans to the state for a full return to the classroom, a continuation of remote-only learning, or a mix of the two teaching methods was July 31.
All school districts are required to announce their reopening plan by Aug. 10.
Merrie Najimy, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Union, told 7NEWS earlier this week that teachers in 71 of the state’s 350 school districts have voted in favor of staring the year with remote learning only due to an array of safety concerns including rising levels of coronavirus transmission, lengthy delays in obtaining test results, and the lack of hot water, adequate ventilation, and space for social distancing in school buildings.
“The uptick in cases is one more piece of evidence to prove that the families, the educators, and the voting public are right on this issue,” Najimy said. “We can’t return until the buildings are safe and the virus is seriously under control in this state.”
RELATED: Mass. school districts finalizing reopening plans as coronavirus cases rise
The 2020-2021 school year will begin with fully remote learning in Somerville, according to Mayor Joe Curtatone. He said he has no plans to bring students back into the classroom for in-person instruction until he feels it’s safe.
Boston plans to utilize a hybrid learning model. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said Wednesday that the school year will start with two days of in-person learning and three days of remote learning.
RELATED: Boston Teachers Union plan calls for complete remote learning in the fall
Many schools are still finalizing reopening plans. These are the districts that have released plans for the start of school fall:
- Somerville – remote learning
- Boston – hybrid learning model
- Lynn – remote learning (until at least Nov. 20)
- Revere – remote learning (until worsening virus numbers improve)
- Cambridge – remote learning (grades 4-12), in-person (Pre-kindergarten through third grade)
- Springfield – remote learning (for the first marking period with plan to reassess)
- Weymouth – remote learning (Phased hybrid model will start no earlier than Nov. 16)
This list will be updated as more plans become available.
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