On Thursday, October 1, 2020, Boston opened up public schools for the first time since the initial lockdown back in March, 2020. Across Boston, schools welcomed students back with about 7% capacity, prioritizing those with special needs such as homelessness, complex disabilities, limited background in English, interrupted education, and involvement with child protective services, according to The Boston Globe. Many students and parents are excited about the “return to normal”, but the happiness may come to a halt. Just this week, positivity rates jumped from 2.2% to 3.5%, which is just shy of the 4% threshold for closing schools. Neighborhoods that exceed this threshold must wait for further notice for the reopening of public schools, but it is not looking promising. The city had not seen such a large increase in positivity rates in the past 16 weeks, which is primarily attributed to the return of College students in Boston. Mayor Martin J. Walsh said that the city is “keeping close eyes on the data” and “It would be a shame if we have to not move into the next phase. It would be a really big disappointment for our kids and our city.” He added that he will take a “very cautious approach” and his goal is to “keep people safe and alive, quite honestly.” The city plans to keep students and parents as updated as possible.
