Framingham Adjusts In-Person Learning As Coronavirus Looms

FRAMINGHAM, MA — About a thousand Framingham students set to return to city schools this month will have to wait a little longer. The district is pushing back in-class learning as Framingham remains a high-risk community, Superintendent Robert Tremblay announced Wednesday.

Starting Oct. 5, students with the highest level of learning needs will return to schools. But a planned return on Oct. 26 for high-need students — which would mean 2,500 students and 1,000 staff in buildings — will be pushed back. Tremblay did not immediately announce a new start date for those students and staff.

The district will wait until Oct. 19 to decide if students in the general population will enter a hybrid learning model. However, if cases are still high at that point, the district may wait until after Dec. 7 to begin hybrid learning, Tremblay said Wednesday.

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Framingham's decision matches guidance from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Communities deemed high-risk should be teaching students under a fully remote model, DESE has said.

The state Department of Public Health designated Framingham a high-risk community on Aug. 26, and cases have been rising since. Framingham reported 13 new cases on Wednesday with 123 total active cases across the city.