MA Education Officials Say School Will Look Different In The Fall

BOSTON —State and local education officials said Wednesday that schools are unlikely to return to business as usual when the 2020-21 school year begins.

"Even if we start school in a quasi-normal fashion, we have to be prepared for the possibility in-person education will be interrupted again," Massachusetts Education Secretary Jim Peyser told a legislative oversight hearing convened by the Education Committee.

Massachusetts schools closed in March and will remain closed through the end of the current academic year as part of an emergency order to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. State education officials have formed an advisory board to plan for reopening public schools in the fall. The board includes state education officials, as well as public health experts.

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Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley told the panel the group will consider everything from the resumption of high school sports to modifying schedules to drafting best practices for social distancing on buses and in classrooms. Peyser said schools will need to develop strategies for switching from in-person learning to remote learning.

A big factor in that will be the digital divide. Riley said 9 percent of Massachusetts students do not have access to the internet in their homes, and 15 percent do not have devices that will allow them to complete assignments and participate in remote learning activities.

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Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).