Marlborough To Consider March Return For Students

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough Public Schools students are tentatively set to return to hybrid classes on Feb. 1, but Superintendent Michael Bergeron wants to hold off on bringing students back until March — a pause that would allow more people to get coronavirus vaccines, and allow any cases acquired during the February break to dissipate.

Bergeron will ask the Marlborough School Committee on Tuesday to consider his plan for a phased return beginning March 1. On that date, a cohort of students in grades 3, 8 and 12 would begin hybrid learning. Another cohort of students in grades 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 12 would begin hybrid classes by March 8, according to the plan. A full hybrid return for all grades would begin the week of March 15.

In a memo to the School Committee, Bergeron highlights that a March start would leave about two weeks between the end of February break on Feb. 19 and the start of hybrid classes. Bergeron also said the district is trying to bring students who are struggling with the remote learning format back into buildings full-time.

Bergeron also said in a memo the district is working to set up some type of school-based coronavirus testing for some staff, teachers and students — possibly in the form of a weekly after-school clinic. The district has federal stimulus money available to pay for testing.

The March reopening plan comes after the School Committee pushed back Marlborough's return to hybrid learning several times.

In early January, the School Committee approved a return on Jan. 19. But on Jan. 12 amended the vote to bring students back on Feb. 1. Students have been in remote mode since October due to high levels of coronavirus in Marlborough. The city was adding about 84 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in the week ending Jan. 21, and Marlborough is still on the state's list of red "high-risk" communities.