Watch CBS News

Boston Public Schools Suspend In-Person Learning For All Students

BOSTON (CBS) – Boston Public Schools announced on Wednesday that it is suspending all in-person learning for students due to rising coronavirus numbers.

The decision is effective as of Thursday. All students will learn remotely until there are two full weeks of falling infection rates.

Only high needs students are currently learning in the classroom as of Wednesday. The rest of the students are already learning remotely.

"BPS remains committed to providing in-person learning opportunities to our students as soon as it is appropriate to do so, and will continue to prioritize our students with the highest needs for in-person learning," said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.

There are approximately 3,500 high needs students in Boston schools.

"Parents and families deserve as much predictability as possible for the next set of scenarios," said Boston Teachers Union President.

Last week Boston announced that the start of Phase 3 in-person learning for students in Pre-K – Grade 3 was delayed by one week until October 29 at the earliest. That changed again on Wednesday.

"He was generally happy every day after school," said Dorchester mother Danielle Johnson, who is quickly trying to adjust plans for her son Cornelle's learning now that that Boston Public Schools are moving to a fully remote model.

The second-grader has AHDH and returned to the classroom for in-person learning earlier this month.

"In school, we were able to see he was able to complete assignments," said Johnson.

Boston is currently classified by the state as high-risk due to its coronavirus infection rate.

In its Wednesday announcement, the city said Boston's seven-day average COVID-19 positive test rate was 5.7%, an increase from last week's rate of 4.5%.

"There's no one single factor - but when more people see more people, COVID-19 spreads," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told WBZ-TV.

Walsh said the city is also seeing its testing levels go down. Boston was averaging 1,800 tests per day, but that number is down to 1,500 per day.

"We need to get more people tested," said Walsh.

More from CBS Boston

Stimulus Package Update: What Happens To The Economy Without A Second Stimulus?
'Panic Mode': Eviction Crisis Begins In Chelsea, City Hit Hard By Coronavirus
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 7: Joe Mixon Injury Opens Door For Giovani Bernard

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.