1095 new cases of COVID-19 identified among districts who reported data to DESE. Requirements to quarantine remain in place for all close contacts (within 6 feet for 15 minutes) for each positive case.
We’ll let DESE explain:
With hundreds of thousands of students returning to school buildings, medical experts have forecasted that the number of positive cases reported to schools may increase due to the increased volume of students. The Department will continue to follow safety guidelines and mitigation strategies, including pooled testing to help identify and isolate positive cases.
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.