Boston public schools shift to remote learning
Amid a rise of new COVID-19 cases in the city, Boston public schools will shift to all remote learning beginning Thursday.
Boston, which serves more than 55,000 pre-K through grade 12 students, allowed some pupils with the highest needs back to the classroom on Oct. 1, but city officials have now reversed that decision.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement: "We have said all along that we will only provide in-person learning for students if the data and public health guidance supports it, and this new data shows that we are trending in the wrong direction."
Massachusetts is averaging over 700 new cases a day, up 13% from a week ago and the highest seven-day average of new cases in the state since late May.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients hit 517 on Tuesday, the highest level since late July.
Nationally, cases have been trending higher for five weeks.
School districts across the United States have been grappling with their school reopening plans. In New York City, home to the nation’s largest public school system, officials ordered some schools to revert to remote learning earlier this month after infections spiked in a few areas.
In Los Angeles, the second-largest school district in the country, schools remain closed for in-person education for most students.
