Framingham Schools Still Aiming For January Switch To Hybrid

FRAMINGHAM, MA — With coronavirus cases rising steadily in Framingham, school officials are still aiming for a January entry into a hybrid form of learning — but there's evidence parents and teachers are split on whether to return to school buildings.

Superintendent Robert Tremblay and school health officials held a news conference on Wednesday about the district's recent switch back to all-remote learning, and plans for the coming months.

Tremblay said it may not be possible for Framingham to bring every student back into buildings until the pandemic subsides. That's because health guidelines call for students and teachers to remain 6 feet apart at all times, and there's not enough room in schools to meet that stricture.

The district recently asked parents and staff to fill out a survey indicating whether they would want to return to school under a hybrid model or remain remote. Tremblay said the response was "split down the board," with half wanting to return and half wanting to stay remote.

If coronavirus cases begin to decline, Framingham could enter the hybrid model in mid-January, school officials have said. But recent trends do not show a slowdown in local cases.

Framingham brought hundreds of high-needs students back to school buildings this fall, but began seeing coronavirus spread between students and staff. That prompted the district to pull back and switch back to remote on Monday.

There have been 31 cases across all Framingham schools since Oct. 5, according to the district's coronavirus dashboard. Eleven of those cases have been detected since Dec. 4.

Framingham has been adding hundreds of new cases in recent weeks, and is still on the state's list of high-risk communities for virus spread.