Novel CoronavirusWBUR's ongoing coverage of the new coronavirus.With masks now optional, Mass. students are learning to adjustWe checked in with a few kids recently to see how students are adjusting to new mask-optional policies at school. ResumeEducation03:33Mar 18, 2022Boston health officials recommend threshold for repealing school mask mandatesBPHC is officially recommending that Boston Public Schools (BPS) wait until the citywide COVID-19 incidence rate reaches 10 cases per 100,000 residents to institute mask-optional policies.EducationMar 9, 2022Smiles – and ambivalence – as mandatory masking ends at many Mass. schoolsAs the state ended its school mask mandate, some districts kept them in place for now, including nearby Lawrence, as well as Boston, Chelsea and Springfield. In others, the choice...ResumeEducation04:13Feb 28, 2022As Massachusetts' school mask mandate ends, district leaders say shift has been smoothThe state's school mask mandate officially ends on Monday and most public schools have plans in place for how and when to go mask-optional. EducationFeb 25, 2022As Mass. moves to relax mask rules, students say COVID is still taking a toll"I haven’t learned anything when going to school," said senior Thy Nguyen. "And so I think that’s why many of us don’t have motivation anymore." ResumeEducation04:34Feb 14, 2022AdvertisementWu says Boston's school mask mandate will remain after state policy liftsWu says health metrics will be the determining factor for lifting BPS's masking policy.EducationFeb 10, 2022Mass. will stop requiring masks in public schools. It's an uneasy milestone for manyState officials are phasing out the mask mandate in Massachusetts public schools — and reactions are reliably mixed. ResumeEducation03:05Feb 10, 2022Mass. will end its school mask mandate on Feb. 28Students in Massachusetts public schools will soon have a choice about whether to wear a mask.ResumeEducation05:30Feb 9, 2022Massachusetts to lift public school mask mandate on Feb. 28The decision was made in consultation with infectious disease physicians, the state Department of Public Health, and other medical experts, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said...EducationFeb 9, 2022Baker hints at end of school mask requirementsBaker said the school mask mandate remains in effect until the end of the month "and it's anticipated, obviously, that at some point in the not-too-distant future the commissioner [of...EducationFeb 7, 2022Baker administration officials urge colleges to ease COVID-19 restrictionsTwo Cabinet secretaries late last week urged college and university presidents to be a part of the state's transition of the pandemic "into an endemic, a highly contagious virus that...EducationJan 31, 2022Unvaccinated students in some Mass. schools can go masklessWhen state education officials earlier this month announced the extension of masking requirements in K-12 schools, they also quietly tucked in a change affecting a small number of schools where...EducationJan 24, 2022With cases surging, Massachusetts officials will 'pivot' on COVID testing in schoolsAs he announced plans to provide free rapid antigen tests to schools and childcare providers starting next week, Gov. Charlie Baker spoke of a strategic “pivot”: away from cost-intensive and...ResumeEducation05:02Jan 20, 2022Massachusetts to provide at-home tests for schoolsThe new program will allow school health staff to spend more time and resources identifying symptomatic people and focusing on other aspects of COVID-19 management, the Department of Elementary and...EducationJan 18, 2022'The struggle is real': Educators work to keep classrooms open despite COVID surgeMore than 7,000 educators and school staff in Massachusetts have gotten COVID-19 since early January.ResumeEducation04:31Jan 18, 2022State education leaders extend school mask requirement until Feb. 28The move comes as COVID-19 infections surge among students and staff. EducationJan 10, 2022It actually snowed on Cambridge's third snow day this weekFriday marked the third time this week that public schools in Cambridge were closed. But this time, kids — and some of their parents — welcomed the interruption.EducationJan 7, 2022A UMass Medical School program is overcoming vaccination fears among children with disabilitiesThe program has carved out spaces with lower light and room for privacy: "I would say we have over a 99% success rate, even with kids who have some pretty...EducationDec 27, 2021COVID-19 case numbers are surging in Mass. public schoolsIn the past week public school districts told the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of 6,817 new cases among students and 1,012 among staff — a record one-week...EducationDec 10, 2021Curley K-8 School building reopens after COVID-19 outbreakStudents were back in classrooms learning Monday after seven remote learning days. EducationNov 22, 2021Next Page
With masks now optional, Mass. students are learning to adjustWe checked in with a few kids recently to see how students are adjusting to new mask-optional policies at school. ResumeEducation03:33Mar 18, 2022
Boston health officials recommend threshold for repealing school mask mandatesBPHC is officially recommending that Boston Public Schools (BPS) wait until the citywide COVID-19 incidence rate reaches 10 cases per 100,000 residents to institute mask-optional policies.EducationMar 9, 2022
Smiles – and ambivalence – as mandatory masking ends at many Mass. schoolsAs the state ended its school mask mandate, some districts kept them in place for now, including nearby Lawrence, as well as Boston, Chelsea and Springfield. In others, the choice...ResumeEducation04:13Feb 28, 2022
As Massachusetts' school mask mandate ends, district leaders say shift has been smoothThe state's school mask mandate officially ends on Monday and most public schools have plans in place for how and when to go mask-optional. EducationFeb 25, 2022
As Mass. moves to relax mask rules, students say COVID is still taking a toll"I haven’t learned anything when going to school," said senior Thy Nguyen. "And so I think that’s why many of us don’t have motivation anymore." ResumeEducation04:34Feb 14, 2022
Wu says Boston's school mask mandate will remain after state policy liftsWu says health metrics will be the determining factor for lifting BPS's masking policy.EducationFeb 10, 2022
Mass. will stop requiring masks in public schools. It's an uneasy milestone for manyState officials are phasing out the mask mandate in Massachusetts public schools — and reactions are reliably mixed. ResumeEducation03:05Feb 10, 2022
Mass. will end its school mask mandate on Feb. 28Students in Massachusetts public schools will soon have a choice about whether to wear a mask.ResumeEducation05:30Feb 9, 2022
Massachusetts to lift public school mask mandate on Feb. 28The decision was made in consultation with infectious disease physicians, the state Department of Public Health, and other medical experts, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said...EducationFeb 9, 2022
Baker hints at end of school mask requirementsBaker said the school mask mandate remains in effect until the end of the month "and it's anticipated, obviously, that at some point in the not-too-distant future the commissioner [of...EducationFeb 7, 2022
Baker administration officials urge colleges to ease COVID-19 restrictionsTwo Cabinet secretaries late last week urged college and university presidents to be a part of the state's transition of the pandemic "into an endemic, a highly contagious virus that...EducationJan 31, 2022
Unvaccinated students in some Mass. schools can go masklessWhen state education officials earlier this month announced the extension of masking requirements in K-12 schools, they also quietly tucked in a change affecting a small number of schools where...EducationJan 24, 2022
With cases surging, Massachusetts officials will 'pivot' on COVID testing in schoolsAs he announced plans to provide free rapid antigen tests to schools and childcare providers starting next week, Gov. Charlie Baker spoke of a strategic “pivot”: away from cost-intensive and...ResumeEducation05:02Jan 20, 2022
Massachusetts to provide at-home tests for schoolsThe new program will allow school health staff to spend more time and resources identifying symptomatic people and focusing on other aspects of COVID-19 management, the Department of Elementary and...EducationJan 18, 2022
'The struggle is real': Educators work to keep classrooms open despite COVID surgeMore than 7,000 educators and school staff in Massachusetts have gotten COVID-19 since early January.ResumeEducation04:31Jan 18, 2022
State education leaders extend school mask requirement until Feb. 28The move comes as COVID-19 infections surge among students and staff. EducationJan 10, 2022
It actually snowed on Cambridge's third snow day this weekFriday marked the third time this week that public schools in Cambridge were closed. But this time, kids — and some of their parents — welcomed the interruption.EducationJan 7, 2022
A UMass Medical School program is overcoming vaccination fears among children with disabilitiesThe program has carved out spaces with lower light and room for privacy: "I would say we have over a 99% success rate, even with kids who have some pretty...EducationDec 27, 2021
COVID-19 case numbers are surging in Mass. public schoolsIn the past week public school districts told the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of 6,817 new cases among students and 1,012 among staff — a record one-week...EducationDec 10, 2021
Curley K-8 School building reopens after COVID-19 outbreakStudents were back in classrooms learning Monday after seven remote learning days. EducationNov 22, 2021