Reading Schools Announce Return To Hybrid Learning

READING, MA — The Reading Public Schools will return to hybrid learning next week, Superintendent John Doherty said Thursday. Schools were remote the first week back from break due to COVID-19 cases among students and staff, as well as community spread.

"When we transitioned to remote this week, we did it because our case numbers over the break had increased, and we made the conscious decision to allow a quarantine period of two weeks from the Christmas holiday to allow families the ability to get tested, quarantine (if necessary) and to monitor their situations so that the spread could be reduced," Doherty said. "In addition, it allowed our school nurses the ability to contact trace all current active cases."

Administrators met with the director of nurses and other public health officials this week and decided to bring students back Monday, Jan. 11. This means there will have been 17 days of reduced in-school contact since Dec. 24.

Next week will be in-person for Cohort B, preschool, kindergarten and high-needs students. In-person athletics and extracurricular activities resumed Friday.