Schools
Framingham Prepping For Full Elementary Return After DESE Vote
State officials on Friday voted to require all elementary students to return full-time to classes in early April.
FRAMINGHAM, MA — On Monday, the final group of Framingham students entered hybrid classes after almost a year learning remotely. But now district officials are hurrying to prepare for a full return for elementary students following a new state mandate.
On Friday, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) board voted to give Commissioner Jeff Riley the authority to determine when to end hybrid and remote models for school districts. He's picked April 5 as the end date for elementary hybrid and remote learning, with some minor exceptions.
Framingham officials, including the School Committee and city health leaders, met after the DESE vote to start planning, Superintendent Robert Tremblay said over the weekend.
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"While the District fully supports [DESE's] vote to return all elementary students to in-person learning as soon as possible, the logistical impact of this decision is far-reaching," Tremblay said in a statement on Saturday. "Immediately following the [DESE] vote, FPS and Department of Public Health (DPH) leaders met with the School Committee. As a next step, we will continue to move forward with the launch of our Phase IV reopening while also planning for the return of additional students in light of this new information."
The district will next meet with the Framingham Teachers Association union and health officials to plan for the full elementary return. The return would come after the district-wide spring break during Passover week.
Find out what's happening in Framinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
DESE will allow waivers for some districts, and in some cases for families that want to continue remote learning. The move is coming now due to a drop in statewide coronavirus infections. Following elementary students, Riley wants middle and high school students to follow.
Framingham began bringing back students following the February vacation after local coronavirus cases began dropping. As of March 4, Framingham was adding 27.6 new cases per day per 100,000 people, which is slightly higher compared to the previous week. The city's positive test rate was steady at about 3 percent, however.
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