MA House Bill Would Provide $125K Coronavirus Funds To Schools

TEWKSBURY, MA — A bill passed by the Massachusetts house would provide $125,000 to Tewksbury's school district for masks, fumigators and other measures to prevent the spread o the coronavirus.

Two amendments filed by state Rep. Dave Robertson to bill H.4808, cosponsored by state Reps. Tram Nguyen and Ken Gordon, provide the money to Wilmington and Tewksbury.

The bill passed the house unanimously and is currently before the state senate.

“The federal government has been slow on providing guidance on how to safely reopen schools, or even what to anticipate in terms of students attending lessons in person or over the internet," Robertson said in a statement. "This has put our school committees and town administrators in a tough position, so we must plan for the the most difficult scenario.”

“This $125,000 per town provides a great start by purchasing ‘sneeze-guard’ protections for every student in both towns, masks, and a fumigator for every public school and public building so that precautions can be taken to keep everyone safe. I am particularly concerned that children may not display symptoms and carry home the virus to an older relative, who are at high risk, so providing funds to buy the necessary equipment to kill and virus is absolutely critical.”

The bill also allows the towns to spend funds on masks and fumigators for other public buildings, like senior centers and town offices.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.