Massachusetts Association of School Committees
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Coronavirus Resources
Resources, news and updates for Massachusetts school districts regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States.
MASC Staff is Available for Your Questions and Guidance!
MASC is in the process of compiling a list of frequently asked questions and answers to help members navigate issues surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. View the list here.
Resources
MASC RESOURCES:
- Guidance on Policy Issues for the Pandemic (7/30/20) (MASC)
- MASC Guide to Member Roles in Reopening of Schools (7/11/20) (MASC)
- Resolutions on COVID-19 Expenses and Social, Economic & Racial Justice in Our Communities (MASC)
- School Committee Leadership During COVID-19 School Closures (MASC)
- COVID-19 FAQs for School Leaders (MASC)
STATE GOVERNMENT RESOURCES:
- Governor Baker's emergency order to support families in remote learning (8/28/20) (MA Governor's Office)
- Joint Guidance on Modified Sports Seasons (8/18/20) (MA DESE / MIAA)
- Career/Vocational Technical Education Reopening Guidelines (7/29/20) (MA DESE)
- Remote Learning Guidance for Fall 2020 (7/24/20) (MA DESE)
- Fall Reopening Guidance - Facilities & Operations (7/22/20) (MA DESE)
- Fall Reopening Guidance - Transportation (7/22/20) (MA DESE)
- Grant Opportunity: FY2021 Remote Learning Technology Essentials (MA DESE)
- Additional Guidance on Fall Reopening Plans (7/10/20) (MA DESE)
- Fall Reopening Frequently Asked Questions (7/10/20) (MA DESE)
- Comprehensive Special Education Guidance for 2020-21 School Year (7/9/20) (MA DESE)
- Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance (MA DESE)
- DESE Releases Initial Back-to-School Guidance (Press Release) (MA DESE)
- Guidance on Required Safety Supplies for Re-Opening Schools (MA DESE)
- Strengthening Our Remote Learning Experience: Guidance for MA School Districts (Updated 4/27/20) (MA DESE)
- FY2021 Regional School District Interim or 1/12th Budget Process Q&A (5/13/20) (MA DESE)
- Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Program (Mass.gov)
- List of MA COVID-19 Essential Services (MA Governor)
- Press Release: Governor's Emergency Actions to Address COVID-19 (3/15/20)
- Update on Open Meeting Law executive order (MA Attorney General)
- Updating Resources on COVID-19 for Massachusetts K-12 Education (MA DESE)
- Governor's Press Release (3/10/20)
- COVID-19 Public Health Updates (MA DPH)
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESOURCES:
- Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation (CDC) (2/12/21)
- Updated School Reopening Indicators (CDC) (2/12/21)
- K-12 Schools COVID-19 Mitigation Toolkit (CDC) (2/12/21)
- Use of Department of Education Grant Funds During the Novel Coronavirus Disease (US DOE)
- FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking During COVID-19 Pandemic (FBI Boston)
- Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities (US DOE)
- Protecting Students' Civil Rights During COVID-19 Response (US DOE)
- Downloadable COVID-19 fact sheets in multiple languages (US HHS)
- Fact sheet on using USDA foods during a human pandemic (USDA)
OTHER RESOURCES:
- COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- CDC Readiness and Planning Tool to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in K-12 Schools
- Considerations for school-related public health measures in the context of COVID-19 (World Health Organization)
- Cost of Reopening Schools Chart (AASA/ASBO)
- Internet Essentials Program (Comcast)
- National School Boards Association Advocacy Resources (Compiled Resources from 4/24/20 NSBA Advocacy Conversation) (.zip)
- Report: Remote Learning Guidance from State Education Agencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic (MIT Teaching Systems Lab)
- Free Resources for K-12 Online Education (COVID-19 Education Coalition)
- National League of Cities Action Tracker
- Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
- Resources for Local Government Leaders (MMA)
- School Closure Meal Information & MA Meal Sites Map (Child Nutrition Outreach Program)
- Supporting Children’s Emotional Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Child Trends / UMass Child Trauma Training Center
- Education Resources for the COVID-19 Crisis (Education Development Center)
- Responding to Coronavirus: A Downloadable Guide for Schools (EdWeek)
- Map: Coronavirus and School Closures Nationally (EdWeek)
News
For a roundup of relevant education news delivered to your inbox every morning, including the latest updates on COVID-19 as it relates to school districts sign up for MASC's The Daily Ed Newsletter.
Coronavirus News: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
Massachusetts recommends testing, quarantining for students traveling this week (WHDH 7)
CDC: Nearly 80% of childcare, K-12 workers have had at least one shot (EdWeek)
Teens feel great relief at being eligible for vaccine (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
After year of turmoil, elite universities welcome a more diverse freshmen class (The New York Times)
White House closes in on 'families plan' centered on childcare, preK, paid leave (The Washington Post)
What the pandemic has done to the class of 2020 (The Atlantic)
Worcester schools says Verizon recalling hotspots given to students (MassLive)
Triton Regional plans prom, afternoon graduation (Newburyport Daily News)
North Andover students to make full time return by end of next week (Salem News)
South Shore Vo-Tech asks for debt authorization (The Patriot Ledger)
Coronavirus News: Friday, April 16, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
Dispatches from quarantine: how young people are documenting history (NPR)
School officials urge caution as many families set to travel for spring vacation (NBC 10)
Hoosac Valley schools welcome students back, ratify MOU with teachers (iBerkshires)
Amherst Regional High students reflect on return to classrooms (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
Holyoke Public Schools readying for return of middle school students to classrooms (MassLive)
Athol teachers' union rips state for denial of building closure (Athol Daily News)
Worcester School Committee votes to hold Durham bus company in breech of contract (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Newburyport superintendent says COVID cluster shows importance of vigilance (Newburyport Daily News)
Coronavirus News: Wednesday, April 14, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
How to talk about next school year presents a big test for education leaders (EdWeek)
For music teacher, virtual school meant teaching kids 'to hear the way I hear' (NPR)
NYC Summer School 2021: field trips, academics, and open to all (Chalkbeat)
New report shows some children with COVID-related syndrome develop neurological symptoms (The New York Times)
Hospital emergency rooms are bearing the brunt of the youth mental health crisis (NEPM)
Worcester School Committee to send breach of contract letter to Durham bus company (Spectrum News)
Lord to move to Peabody remote learning role (Salem News)
Pioneer poll find majority satisfaction with school districts (Metrowest Daily News)
Coronavirus News: Tuesday, April 13, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
Pandemic still growing exponentially, WHO says (The Guardian)
Studies confirm racial, ethnic disparities in COVID-19 hospitalization and visits (NPR)
Cardona's decision to grant D.C. testing waiver rankles education officials (U.S. News)
Opinion: Why Blue States failed their children by delaying reopening their schools for so long by MA Board of Ed member Paymon Rouhanifard (Time)
Worcester committee votes to send breach of contract letter to Durham busing (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Braintree School Department budget request includes 30-40 lost jobs (The Patriot Ledger)
Coronavirus News: Monday, April 12, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
The pandemic forced these high schoolers to work full-time, so they're going to school at night. (The Washington Post)
Online schools are here to stay, even after the pandemic. (The New York Times)
Biden proposes doubling Title I, sending more money to high poverty schools. (Chalkbeat)
When can kids get the COVID-19 vaccine? A pediatrician answers 5 questions parents are asking. (The Conversation)
Letter: In-person testing an unfair burden on English learners (Boston Globe)
Hamilton-Wenham cancels Monday classes after teachers receive COVID-19 vaccinations (WCVB)
Burlington High School switches to remote classes after spike in COVID-19 cases (NECN)
Worcester school cases among highest in the state for April (Spectrum News)
Lawrence school unions vote no confidence in superintendent (Eagle Tribune)
Gloucester schools air safety as part of school budget (Gloucester Daily Times)
Wareham School Committee approves older students' return to full in-person learning (Wareham Week Today)
Reports of abused and neglected children plummeted during the pandemic and now are rising (Lowell Sun)
Coronavirus News: Friday, April 9, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
Weekly positive cases reported among staff and students (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
Mass reports new weekly high of positive cases among students: 821 (Boston Globe)
Building trust among parents and students is the key to reopening school building (The Conversation)
Biden education department approves one request to cancel tests but rejects others (EdWeek)
Massachusetts students don't have to take the MCAS, and some are arguing that they shouldn't (MassLive)
U.S. suicides dropped last year, defying pandemic expectations (AP)
Does it hurt children to measure pandemic learning loss? (The New York Times)
Worcester school officials encouraged by district's improved graduation, dropout rates (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Millbury students' learning improves despite COVID-19 (Millbury Sutton Chronicle)
Haverhill schools to reopen Friday after attack on computers (Eagle Tribune)
Coronavirus News: Thursday, April 8, 2021
- Details
- Category: Coronavirus Resources
How does sending a child to school change a family's risk of COVID-19? (EdWeek)
Back to School: The Effects of School Visits During COVID-19 on COVID-19 Transmission (National Bureau of Economic Research)
What the narrative on school reopening has missed (The Dispatch)
Opinion: What's more important than slashing child poverty? (The Washington Post)
Teaching during a pandemic: what four educators wish politicians and journalists would discuss (PBS News Hour)
Worcester parents must pick in-person or remote by Friday (Worcester Patch)
Haverhill schools hit by ransomware attack, classes cancelled Thursday (Eagle Tribune)
Salisbury principal, parents 'relieved' about return to school (Newburyport Daily News)
Old Rochester elementary students return to school buildings (Sippican)
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