Not an April Fool’s Day joke. In the last week of reporting before elementary students in K-5 are rushed back into the classroom on April 5, we learn that fifty-five (55) Massachusetts communities are high-risk for COVID-19 and 1045 new COVID-19 cases were reported to DESE last week.
As a reminder, close contacts within six feet for all positive cases and their household members are still required to quarantine for 14 days.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) reports the number of COVID-19 cases by school districts (including charter schools), collaboratives, and approved special education schools each week as reported by the district. The data represents the number of staff or students who reported as positive for the previous week based on the DESE definitions:
- Reported positive cases for students: Number of reported positive cases for students who are learning in hybrid or in-person learning models and have been in a district school within the seven days prior to the report of the positive case (excludes students learning in fully remote models).
- Reported positive cases for staff: Number of reported positive cases for district staff members who have been in a district building within the seven days prior to the report of the positive case (excludes staff that have not been in district buildings during the seven days prior to the report of the positive case).
The weekly reports are available here.
Additional self-reported data on positive COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts public schools can be viewed and reported in the Stop the Spread tool.