LYNN, MASS. (WHDH) - Lynn Public Schools are the latest in Massachusetts to opt for remote learning this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The school committee voted on the decision Wednesday night, leaving some room for students to potentially come back to the classroom at some point in the school year.
The City of Somerville also plans to start the school year with remote learning until it safe to switch to a hybrid of in-person and online classes.
“In Massachusetts, we are trending now in the wrong directions. We’re seeing a spike in cases,” Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said. “We don’t have the testing capacity anywhere in the Commonwealth to conduct what is needed, surveillance testing in this case, of our school population.”
Boston has chosen a hybrid model for this fall, with students coming to school two days a week and staying home for three, according to Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.
“To use round numbers, I’ll have 20 kids assigned to me as a teacher. I will teach 10 of them in person for part of it and then I will teach 10 remotely,” she explained. “Everybody at the same time will be learning.”
In Lawrence, hundreds of teachers and faculty members held a demonstration Wednesday as school board members met to discuss reopening plans.
Kim Barry, president of the Lawrence Teacher’s Union, says they want students to learn remotely at first and come back when it’s safe.
“We love our kids,” she said. “We want to get back to the classrooms. We’re in teaching because we love the kids and we want to do what’s right for the kids, and we hope we have the funds to do that.”
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