The state said it has no formal reporting process for tracking coronavirus outbreaks that have already cropped up in summer school programs, leaving teachers unions wondering how health officials plan to prevent outbreaks considered “inevitable” in the fall.
“We are not formally tracking them, but we are trying to notice them as they pop up,” said Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokeswoman Jacqueline Reis. “There is no formal reporting process for schools.”
Reis said DESE is still finalizing its guidance as schools shore up their plans for remote, in-person or hybrid learning once classes resume in September.
“It’s absurd and it’s stunning but its also not a surprise,” said Merrie Najimy, who leads the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
Najimy accused DESE Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley of “choosing to ignore the data” and rush students and teachers back into classrooms even though it may not be safe to do so.
“The commissioner’s plan at this point is putting the lives of 1 million students and 120,000 educators at risk,” Najimy said.
Cases have popped up this summer in three separate school districts. Last month, a Westwood school staff member reportedly returned to work after receiving a false-negative for coronavirus after being sick with the highly infectious virus for several weeks. In Melrose, a high school student tested positive last month, according to district communications.
In Quincy, three staff members tested positive across three schools, prompting 11 students to quarantine, according to Quincy Public Health Commissioner Ruth Jones.
“COVID is not gone and not going to be gone until we have a vaccine. It’s almost inevitable — as we saw in summer school — that we’ll see cases pop up here and there,” Jones said.
The state Department of Public Health said it relies on local health commissions to identify coronavirus clusters and then provides guidance in how to manage the outbreaks. Questions about tracking cases in school were referred to the DESE.
The lack of planning to prevent illness has left teachers wary of returning to in-person instruction. Jessica Tang of the Boston Teachers Union said she has “no confidence” in Boston’s so-called “hybrid hopscotch plan” to return to some in-person schooling.
“They should be tracking these clusters and incidents because health and safety is a priority,” Tang said, noting community transmission of COVID-19 has been on the rise in Massachusetts in recent weeks.
The state’s two largest teachers unions — the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the American Teacher Federation, which includes Boston’s teachers — are calling for a continuation of remote learning until the safety of students, staff and teachers can be guaranteed.
“If the state is not tracking data and not paying attention to possible impacts, then they are not doing their due diligence to protect health and safety,” Tang said.
Najimy said both unions have agreed not to allow teachers to return until every school building is inspected to ensure proper air quality and ventilation, rapid testing and contact tracing are available and the state keeps up with public health benchmarks.
