Framingham Releases Final 3 Plans For School Reopening

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham school and health leaders on Friday released three final plans for reopening schools this fall. Although district leaders are aiming for a hybrid learning environment — a mix of in-person and online classes — students likely won't return to school buildings until November at the earliest.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is requiring each district in the state to submit three back to school plans covering a full in-person model, a hybrid model, and an all-online model by July 31.

The plans released Friday still have to be voted on by the School Committee, which will likely happen on Wednesday.

In the plans released Friday, Superintendent Robert Tremblay outlined five key "decision" dates. On each of those dates, the district will assess virus trends and whether students should return to school buildings. The first decision date is Oct. 19, and that's when district leaders will decide if it's safe for students to begin the hybrid learning model beginning on Nov. 5.

"The decision for when students will return to school for a hybrid or fully in-person model will be determined at designated intervals to allow families time to make appropriate arrangements and to ensure all schools are fully ready to accept our students," Tremblay wrote in a preamble to the plans. "Safety assessments, in coordination with the Department of Public Health, of the current learning model will occur within six identified intervals during the school year.

Read the full Framingham Public School reopening plans on the district website.