In a surprise to no one, COVID-19 cases in continue to be identified in schools among both students and staff. 3,257 new cases were identified among students and 558 new cases among staff. A full 2% of Massachusetts public school students have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since September.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education published updated guidance on vaccinated 5-11 year old students and a process for notifying DESE if there is a cluster of cases in a school.
If a school has concerns over a spike in cases within a classroom, grade, or a school, districts and schools must notify their local board of health and must call the DESE Rapid Response Help Center at 781-338-3500.
DESE FAQ Week of November 15, 2021
| Number of MA Students | 911,465 |
| Positive Student Cases to Date | 20,421 (2.0%) |
Student Count: Number of reported positive cases for students who are enrolled in the school.
Staff Count: Number of reported positive cases for district staff members employed by the school district.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education weekly reports are available here.
You can explore the DESE guidance for school-based testing, vaccines and safety policies for public and private schools here.
Curious about more statewide COVID-19 data? The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has a comprehensive interactive dashboard with community level data on testing, hospitalizations and COVID-19 Variants. You can visit their dashboard here.