MA School Comissioner: Coronavirus Closures May Go Past April 7

PEABODY, MA — Massachusetts schools, already closed for a week to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, are unlikely to reopen on April 7 as originally planned.

In a conference call with superintendents Friday, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley said he did not expect schools to reopen on April 7. Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all schools closed for at least three weeks on March 15.

Riley was not available for comment Sunday. Peabody Interim Superintendent Marc Kerble relayed the commissioner's comments in a note to parents Sunday.

Riley's "general feeling was that schools will continue to be closed beyond April 7, the date we are expected to reopen schools," Kerble wrote. "Therefore, please plan for school closure beyond April 7. You will be notified immediately once anything is definitive."

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts jumped to 646 Sunday, an increase of 121. Baker said the state's goal is to expand daily testing, which will result in more confirmed cases.

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