Finishing the school year strong with another increase in COVID cases. 18,968 cases were reported last week. That looks like 8133 educators who tested positive in the last two weeks and were absent from school during an isolation period.
Schools are also impacted by increased numbers of seasonal flu cases in the Commonwealth. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has not publicly updated any guidance for schools and communities related to public health and safety practices.
DESE does have information for educators on yoga and supporting students’ “predictable moments of dysregulation that the end of the school year brings” though.
| Number of MA Students | 911,465 |
| Positive Student Cases to Date | 256,401 (27.9 %) |
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.
Don’t forget to check out our running list of the COVID-19 policies. You have not likely missed much. DESE has not provided any COVID-19 updates since March 9, 2022.
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
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.