BOSTON — With Massachusetts still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Charlie Baker ordered all schools to remain closed through the end of the academic year. That means eight more weeks of remote learning for the state’s more than 948,000 students.
For Paxton mother Lisa Bousbouras the decision makes sense given that the Bay State has among the highest infection rates in the nation.
“He has to make his decision based on, you know, the safety and health of everybody,” she said. “So I’m not going to argue that.”
“I know some students are like struggling with the online stuff, like not processing it the same way as they would’ve in the classroom,” said Bousbouras’ daughter, a junior at a catholic high school in Worcester.
But the Governor’s announcement was not the news Lisa’s eighth grade son and high school-aged daughter wanted to hear. They were disappointed they would not be able to return to their classroom.
For the Bousbouras children, not seeing their peers and participating in school activities during the school closure has also been a letdown.
“She just missed what would have been her prom this past weekend. There's a lot of those life's moments that are being taken away. It's really tough,” said Bousbouras.
The president of the union that represents Massachusetts’ teachers also believes Governor Baker made the right call, but says the announcement should have come earlier.
[ Gov. Charlie Baker says all Mass. schools should remain closed for rest of school year ]
“This is a no brainer. This is common sense,” said Merrie Najimy, Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA). “Other states across the country have already made the decision to keep the school buildings closed. Massachusetts is far behind. We need real leadership that we have had on this yet.”
Baker cautioned the extended closure does not mean an early start to summer vacation.
The state’s Department of Education is expected to issue new guidance later this week for remote learning, something many families continue to struggle with.
“I think what we are learning is that the more we do it, the better we get at it,” said Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. “But we're not going to duplicate what children would be receiving in their normalized school environment. There will be a loss.”
The state Department of Education is still working to figure out what the return-to-school plan will look like, but all indications are that it will not happen until at least the fall.
Meanwhile, the MTA is calling for a “pause” before the state releases the new remote learning guidelines. The union says a number of things should be considered first, including how families are managing and rates of participation.
[ Education officials, teachers and parents taking different approaches to remote learning ]
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