Barnstable Public Schools Going Fully Remote Amid COVID-19 Spike

BARNSTABLE, MA — Barnstable Public Schools will go fully remote for at least Thursday and Friday because of a spike in coronavirus cases in both the schools and the community.

Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown said herself and other school officials became concerned when reviewing town data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

According to state data released last Thursday, Barnstable had the highest average daily rate of cases and the highest positive test rate in the state. In just a week, the town's positive test rate over the last two weeks spiked to 7.49 percent, up from 4.99 percent the week prior.

Mayo-Brown said the higher rate of community spread has negatively affected Barnstable schools.

Last week, the district was notified of 45 cases across all nine school in the district. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, another 28 cases were reported in the schools. There's also 260 staff and students in quarantine as close contacts and 60 staff and students in isolation with COVID-19, Mayo-Brown said.

"It is disappointing and disheartening to make this announcement at this time," Mayo-Brown said. "While there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we cannot let our guard down in terms of maintaining our health and safety protocols, including masks, physical distancing, and hand hygiene. As the Commonwealth is advancing reopening efforts, we find ourselves taking a step back due to community spread of COVID."

Mayo-Brown said she will consult with district physician Dr. Katie Rudman this weekend to determine if it's safe to return to in-person learning Monday. Parents and guardians were asked to check their email Sunday afternoon for more information.