MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR REMAINDER OF YEAR
April 21, 2020
Governor Charlie Baker has announced that Massachusetts school closure has been extended to the end of the year.
“At this point in time there is no authoritative guidance with respect to how to operate schools safely, and how to get kids to and from schools safely,” he said in a press conference this afternoon.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, return to school poses a serious health risk to communities and families.
However, school isn’t over.
“Closing the actual school buildings for the year does not mean it’s time to start summer vacation,” said Baker
Remote learning efforts will continue in all districts, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is looking to provide support to administrators and educators in the coming months.
Baker also recognized the frustrations and challenges of the situation for students, parents, and administrators, and gave special recognition to high school seniors, for whom this announcement symbolizes the official end to any hope of experiencing long awaited end-of-year events.
He implored residents to continue social distancing efforts, wear masks in public, and work together to keep everyone safe and healthy.
“Doing it wrong could create more hardship for everyone in long run and we’re going to do everything we can to avoid that,” he said, “so right now people need to dig deep and stay put.”
Click here for a link to a video of the conference.
Nadav Gerber • Apr 21, 2020 at 2:44 pm
As a class of 2020 senior, I was devastated by the news, but I handled it very maturely. We should all know that our health is the most important thing, and we can’t let something like this get to the best of us. If we’re lucky, we may have all of those senior events during the summer. If we did come back on May 4th, we may have gotten a news report about some students being test positive for the coronavirus. We should all show some dignity in tough times like this, and nothing can separate us.