Framingham Plans For Full Elementary, Middle, High School Return

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham parents are up against a Wednesday deadline to tell district officials if their children are either ready for a full return to school buildings beginning in April or plan to continue learning remotely this spring.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is requiring districts across the state to fully return elementary school students on April 5 and middle schoolers on April 28. DESE has not yet set a firm return date for high school students.

This week, Framingham Public Schools asked parents to fill out a commitment form to give district officials an idea how many students to expect returning to buildings. The new form will supersede the district's previous commitment form.

"Under the new regulations, remote and hybrid learning models will no longer count toward student learning time and therefore a shift to in-person instruction is required," Superintendent Robert Tremblay said in a letter to families on Friday. "Families who elect to remain remote for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, however, may still do so without penalty."

General education students in Framingham only began in a hybrid format last month after nearly a year of fully remote classes. The DESE requirements are causing some problems for districts. Some, like Worcester, say they don't have enough space to keep students socially distanced. And teachers are upset that they are not getting quicker access to vaccinations with the return deadlines fast approaching.

Framingham has set a March 17 deadline for parents to respond to the committment survey.