Boston Schools Preparing Students For Weeks Of Online Learning
BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Public Schools are getting ready to shut down for weeks to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
Students and staff will go to classes Monday to prepare for remote learning. The entire school system will be closed from Tuesday, March 17 until April 27.
Most students at Boston Latin School just to pack up their binders and instruments. "They opened the school early so that people could get their stuff and leave because they don't want many kids being really close," said student Rabecca Verreault.
Mayor Marty Walsh said they're working with internet providers on free and low-cost service and they will have a Chromebook for every student who needs one.
Authorities also want to make sure kids are getting the food they need while they're out of school.
"We are committed to feeding our students throughout this period. Starting Tuesday, families can pick up a variety of package meal options at dozens of locations across Boston every day from 8:30-to-11. They've been notified where those locations are," Walsh said at a news conference Sunday.
Read: Map Of School Meal Sites
Katie Franzetti of the BPS Food and Nutrition Department said, "I had one woman come in today, she works a fulltime job so it's hard for her and her kids are with her grandmother. It's a huge asset to have to her to be able to just set them up for the day and have that meal provided."
Two Boston schools did not open Monday. The Eliot School campuses in the North End are closed after a non-student member tested positive for the coronavirus. The McKinley school buildings in the South End are also shut down because a non-student member is still waiting on test results.
