More Framingham Students Return To Classes in November

FRAMINGHAM, MA — About 424 Framingham students with special learning and language needs will return to in-person classes on Nov. 5, the district announced Monday. The move is in line with the district's pandemic reopening plan.

Along with the students, about 247 teachers and staff will return to classes. About 145 students and 150 staff in the district's Autism and Multiple Disability program have already been in classrooms since Oct. 5.

The students returning Nov. 5 include some in the BLOCKS preschool, and students with developmental delays, learning disabilities, emotional disabilities and intellectual impairments.

Framingham has had zero coronavirus cases among students and staff who have returned to classes so far this year, according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Framingham's coronavirus situation has worsened since the beginning of the school year, and the city remains a red "high-risk" community, according to the state. Students in the general population likely won't enter hybrid learning until 2021 — but the district will make a final decision in December based on case rates.

The city added 33 new coronavirus cases over the weekend, officials reported Monday, plus two new deaths. The average number of new daily cases per 100,000 people dropped slightly to 14.64 over the weekend. However, Framingham would have to be below 8 new cases per day on average to come off the state's high-risk list.

New cases this fall are also trending younger, with the median age between Oct. 4 and Oct. 17 down to 34. About 92 of the 153 new cases over the last two weeks were in people under age 39, according to city data.