Worcester Schools Get OK To Delay April Return

WORCESTER, MA — State officials have granted a waiver requested by Worcester to avoid April deadlines for returning students to school buildings full time.

Boston and Worcester — the state's two biggest school districts — were granted waivers on Wednesday, according to the Boston Globe. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) had initially put the two district's waiver requests on hold.

The state has set deadlines of April 5 and April 28 to return all elementary and middle school students to buildings full-time. But Worcester will get to delay that return until May 3.

DESE has granted waivers to 64 districts across the state since the April deadlines were put in place. Worcester is planning to enter a hybrid learning model for about half the district's 24,000 students beginning March 29.

Other large districts, including Somerville, Springfield, Brockton and Chelsea, have also been granted waivers.