Mass. Announces Plan To Increase Effort For Return To In-Person Classes

The state of Massachusetts is aiming to have all elementary school students return to in-person classes five days a week by April amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

During a Department of Education meeting held Tuesday (February 23), Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner Jeffrey Riley said he plans to ask for the authority to remove remote and hybrid learning as an option for school districts in the state within the next week or two, CBS Boston reports.

Riley said the plan will depend on whether the state's COVID metrics remain in a safe range.

“At some point as metrics continue to improve we will need to take the remote and hybrid learning models off the table and return to a traditional school format,” Riley said during the meeting via CBS Boston.

The state of Massachusetts plans to implement a phased-in approach to return children to in-person classes. Riley said he will initially focus on returning elementary students, with plans likely to extend to middle school later this year and possibly high school as well.

Additionally, there would be a waiver process for districts currently taking varying approaches. Districts currently in fully remote learning would first need to transition into a hybrid model before switching to in-person classes.

Massachusetts Teachers Association president Merrie Najimy told CBS Boston that the decision came as a surprise and Riley hadn't previously announced it prior to the meeting, which created more issues.

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