Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Massachusetts parents from Malden and Roxbury to Worcester and Rehoboth have made the choice to home-school their children this fall rather than send them back into the classroom unvaccinated in the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant.

Massachusetts is recommending that all students in kindergarten through sixth grade wear masks inside who can, but one of the state’s teachers unions is going further. The board of the Massachusetts Teachers Association is pushing Gov. Charlie Baker and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to require masks for all students and staff in all schools, including colleges and...

From pool testing to music class with no singing, Massachusetts’ top education official got an up-close look at how the coronavirus pandemic has changed Roberts Elementary in Medford Thursday.  “We were one of the few districts that started testing, which helped with anxiety and worry,” Medford Superintendent Dr. Maurice Edouard-Vincent said.  Medford officials plan to continue the pool testing into…

Many Massachusetts parents and K-12 view the latest guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a return to normalcy. “Finally, it’s been so long,” said Grafton parent Caroline Salvador. DESE says starting in the fall, all schools are required to be in-person five days a week, and the agency has lifted COVID-19 health and safety requirements...

All Massachusetts schools and districts will be required to hold classes in-person next fall and health and safety requirements imposed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be lifted for the new school year, the department said in new guidance sent to superintendents Thursday evening.

A group of parents upset their kids still have to wear masks in the classroom protested outside a Massachusetts state education meeting.

Of 74 requests from Massachusetts school districts to delay the return to in-person learning, 58 have been approved to date, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Dozens of school districts in Massachusetts are delaying the return to full-time in-person learning after receiving state approval, including the biggest in the state, Boston Public Schools. All elementary schools in Massachusetts are expected to phase out remote learning by April 5, according to guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education earlier this month. As part...

Superintendent of Boston Public Schools Brenda Cassellius is seeking a three-week extension from the Massachusetts education board for the return to in-person learning full-time.

Massachusetts education officials released a timeline for when students will return to in-person learning.

Teachers unions are pushing back against a move to get students back into the classroom full time at Massachusetts schools.

Teachers unions and school committee members are pushing back against a move to get students back into the classroom full time at Massachusetts schools. Elementary and Secondary Commissioner Jeff Riley said Tuesday that it’s time to begin the process of resuming in-person learning, citing improving health metrics and mitigation measures in place across the state’s districts. “The evidence on...

With health metrics improving and mitigation measures in place across Massachusetts schools, Elementary and Secondary Commissioner Jeff Riley said Tuesday it is time to begin the process of getting more students back into classrooms. Riley, who joined Gov. Charlie Baker and Education Secretary James Peyser on Tuesday afternoon to announce the push, told Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members…

Massachusetts education officials on Thursday reported 930 new cases of the coronavirus among students and staff over a one-week period. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report. A total of 523 students with district building access within seven days of the report tested positive from Jan. 7 to Jan. 13, as did…

Massachusetts education officials on Thursday reported 930 new cases of the coronavirus among students and staff over a one-week period. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report. A total of 523 students with district building access within seven days of the report tested positive from Jan. 7 to Jan. 13, as did…

This year’s MCAS exams will feature “significantly” reduced testing time for third through eighth graders, and no schools will be newly named underperforming in the upcoming school year, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley told superintendents in a memo Tuesday. “The sudden shift to remote learning last spring, and the continuation of hybrid/remote learning this school year has...

Nearly 950 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the past week among students and staff in Massachusetts schools. Districts announced 552 of the new cases were diagnosed in students, while the other 397 cases of the virus were among staff members. The latest data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education covers Dec. 17 through Dec. 23, the…

Massachusetts’ schools are continuing to see an increase in coronavirus cases, with 1,009 more cases reported this week. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report. A total of 591 students learning in-person or in a hybrid plan tested positive from Dec. 10 to 16, as did 418 school district staffers. This week…

Coronavirus cases are continuing to rise in Massachusetts schools, with 923 more cases reported this week. The Department of Elementary and Secondary released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report. A total of 503 students learning in-person or in a hybrid plan tested positive from Dec. 3 to 9, as did 420 school district staffers. This number represents the most…

Massachusetts education officials reported more than 480 new coronavirus cases this week in schools across the state. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the report on Wednesday, one day early due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The weekly COVID-19 report shows a total of 276 students and 206 staffers tested positive for the virus from Nov. 19 through Nov….