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FRAMINGHAM – Framingham Public Schools Superintendent Bob Tremblay told the School Committee last night, January 20, that the first week of COVID-19 testing of staff went well.

Of the 187 staffers testing, there was just one positive COVID-19 test, said Tremblay.

The person is “currently asymptomatic,” said Tremblay.

That is just 0.53% positivity rate, much lower that the City’s positive rate of more than 7.5%.

The testing started last week, and will be done weekly, explained Tremblay.

The COVID-19 testing is only for staff who are teaching in their classrooms and coming in to a building everyday, at this time, explained Tremblay. It is not for staff who are teaching remotely, at this time, explained Tremblay.

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The testing program is through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and DESE.

Framingham Public School district is currently 100% remote, at this time. It has been this way since early December.

But yesterday, January 20, Tremblay told staff that they are all expected to return to their buildings on February 1.

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In October, some of the highest needs students began a hybrid education model.

In November, more students were added to the hybrid model, but all returned to remote only learning, after a second surge after Thanksgiving break.

Those approximate 500 students are expected to return to their classrooms in early February said Tremblay.

Tremblay has suggested the entire district could go to a hybrid not a remote model by February, if the metrics allow.

The metrics include a positivity rate of 4% or less for the City of Framingham and new daily cases at 10 or less for a 2-week average.

Framingham is at 53 cases per day for a 2-week average of cases per day per 100,000, according to the state’s latest dashboard.

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By editor

Susan Petroni is the former editor for SOURCE. She is the founder of the former news site, which as of May 1, 2023, is now a self-publishing community bulletin board. The website no longer has a journalist but a webmaster.