Supporting Our Schools

A major Rhode Island teachers union is calling on school districts across the state to switch to remote learning for at least the next week as a wave of new coronavirus infections has left many schools understaffed. National Education Association Rhode Island President Larry Purtill said many local union leaders said at a recent meeting that the re...

Boston Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday due to the frigid cold headed into the area that day, Mayor Michelle Wu announced. The district confirmed the news, tweeting school buildings would be closed “to keep everyone safe.” Wu said the decision was made “to prioritize the safety of our students and especially given the staf...

Massachusetts’ K-12 public school mask mandate has been extended through February, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley announced Monday. The move comes as Massachusetts is in the middle of a major coronavirus surge. The mandate had previously been set to expire on Friday, Jan. 15. Education officials sa...

The weekly average of COVID-19 cases among students and staff at Massachusetts schools has increased by more than two and a half times since the state’s last report, with 51,100 cases reported since over two weeks. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report, which cov...

As COVID-19 case counts continue to rise across Massachusetts, including its schools, a decision about whether to extend the mask mandate in public schools will be announced next week, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley told local school officials. A Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokeswoman confirmed Thursday morning that Riley i...

Boston Public Schools students have a snow day on Friday, the district announced Thursday, with a storm on the way expected to drop several inches on the city. School buildings will be closed “to keep everyone safe,” the district said in a tweet. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius tweeted that it was a snow day. How much will it snow in B...

With COVID-19 cases surging across Massachusetts, some parents are struggling with whether sending their kids back to school is the right decision and whether everyone who’s symptomatic has been tested before heading back to class.

More than 150 Boston teachers have already called out sick for the return to school from winter break Tuesday, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said Monday. Cassellius and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gave an update Monday morning on the district’s plans to return to school on Tuesday after winter break. The superintendent did not give the latest...

The Massachusetts Teachers Association is calling for schools to close on Monday so teachers and staff can use the day for COVID testing, the union said in a statement Friday. The MTA urged for a delayed start after the state’s plan to send testing kits for schools to distribute to students and staff experienced significant delays. The vendor...

Massachusetts’ plan to send out 200,000 at-home COVID-19 test to teachers and school staff members hit a snag Thursday night. The vendor the state had been counting on for the tests will not be available by Friday, a spokesperson with the Executive Office of Education said, citing national supply chain constraints. “DESE quickly develop...

Every Massachusetts school teacher and staff member is getting rapid COVID-19 tests to use before returning to school after the upcoming holiday break, state school officials said Wednesday. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is sending 200,000 of the tests to districts, which is enough that each staff member can get two of the ra...

The number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts schools continues to rise as cases are surging across the state. More than 10,000 students and staff tested positive for the virus in the past week. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report, which shows a total of 10,120 cases...

Thousands of public service workers around the country are receiving welcome news for the holidays: the federal government is forgiving their student loan debt. The development comes after they were initially rejected for a program intended to reward their chosen career path. However, after the Biden administration announced a limited waiver period...