Dover-Sherborn Delays Hybrid Model After Massive Party

DOVER-SHERBORN, MA — A massive student party that was busted on Friday in Sherborn is the cause of a delay to the start of hybrid classes. The joint Dover-Sherborn Board of Health suggested the regional high school delay hybrid classes and start the first week of classes remote and the superintendent agreed.

As many as 150 students are estimated to have attended the party, according to the Boston Globe. In a joint statement, the boards of health said the students were likely drinking alcohol and not social distancing or wearing masks. When police arrived to break up the party several students ran into the woods but a few were caught.

Students were supposed to have their first day of class online on Monday, with teachers in the classroom, and their first day in class was scheduled for Tuesday. Now, students will only start hybrid classes on Sept. 21, if no COVID-19 cases arise.

In a letter to families, Dover-Sherborn Regional Schools Superintendent Andrew W. Keough expressed his disappointment with the situation and said those who attended the party chose to "flout" the rules and put the community at risk.

"In my 34 years as an educator, I have never witnessed an effort such as the one undertaken this past spring and summer to reopen our schools. Although exhausting, it has served as an incredible source of pride for me,'' Keough wrote. “And yet, in the blink of an eye, it has been derailed. To those who have worked so hard to make our reopening happen, I want to say I am sorry.”

Until the start of classes, anyone who attended the party must get tested for COVID-19 and their siblings must also attend remote classes. After school sports have been postponed until Monday and the officials said if an outbreak occurs in high school students or their families, officials may have to reassess in-person attendance.

Read more about this at the Boston Globe.