Weymouth Superintendent Addresses State's Back-To-School Plan

WEYMOUTH, MA — Weymouth Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Curtis-Whipple thanked members of the school community for "their patience and support" during the coronavirus heath crisis on the day Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled the guidelines for the anticipated routine to in-classroom learning this fall.

"Our top priority moving forward is the health and safety of those within our school community," Curtis-Whipple said. "The plans for our next school year still remain fluid as we await further guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. At this time we will begin creating three different district operating plans for the fall.

"We would like to thank everyone for their patience and support of the district during these unprecedented times. As more information becomes available we will share it with Weymouth students, staff and families."

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on Thursday released a long-awaited plan for sending students back to school amid the coronavirus pandemic. What that looks like will vary from district to district, but the state has set forth some guidelines to keep students and educators safe.

State education leaders are relying on research that says schools have not been a major source of coronavirus transmission and young people may not contract and spread the virus at the same rate as adults. Some of this research is preliminary and relies on case studies from countries like Ireland and Australia, which have had much lower coronavirus infection rates.

The state will require students in second grade and above to wear a face covering while on the bus and in school. Younger students are also encouraged to wear them. All adults in schools must wear face coverings.

Special needs students or those with medical exemptions may be outfitted with face shields or not have face coverings at all. The state is recommending "mask breaks" whenever students can be 6 feet apart.

Patch Editor Neal McNamara contributed to this report.