Mass. to require most schools to reopen full time

BOSTON (AP) — All public elementary schools in Massachusetts will be required to open for full-time, in-person learning by April 5, while middle schools will be required to do so on April 28, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Tuesday.

No reopening date was provided for high schools, but the department said districts would be given two weeks’ notice and should start planning to reopen high schools now.

The announcement comes just days after state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley was given the authority to determine when hybrid and remote learning models will no longer count toward student learning hours across the state.

School districts can apply for a waiver if they do not think it’s safe to open under the state’s plan, but Riley said they would be given only “for a limited set of circumstances.”

Parents will also have the option to keep their children in a virtual learning model through the end of the school year.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association has said reopening decisions should be left to local school committees.

About 20% of the state’s districts remain in remote-only learning.

Gov. Charlie Baker has announced that Massachusetts teachers will be eligible to register for a coronavirus vaccine starting Thursday, but warned that demand far exceeds supply.

The number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by 20 on Tuesday, pushing the state’s confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 16,123 since the start of the pandemic.