31 COVID Cases in Framingham Schools in March; 16 Last Week

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FRAMINGHAM – Barbieri Elementary Schools reported two positive COVID cases on March 20, bringing the total for the week for Framingham Public Schools to 16 cases last week.

The cases were posted in the district’s COVID dashboard today, March 22.

Framingham Public School district does not state when it reports positive cases if they are a teacher, staff, or a student.

But this is only the third & fourth COVID positive cases reported at Potter Road elementary in 2021.

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The 2 cases at Barbieri Elementary, means the district has had 79 COVID cases this 2020-21 school year in the district.

Framingham High leads the school district with 21 total cases in the academic 2020-21 school year, but has reported 10 cases just this month.

Fuller Middle School is second with 8 cases.

Walsh Middle School, which reported 4 total cases this week, is third in the district with 7 cases in 2020-21.

Since January 1, there have been 43 cases in the district, with 31 cases in March, as of March 20.

The district has been testing staff weekly, and students, via pooled testing.

SOURCE requested pooled testing participation rates for the district and by school.

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Last week, the administration provided the total district participation rate by students. It is 46%. Pooled testing is not for remote students.

On Friday, the district reported that number has increased to 48%.

March 17 was the deadline for parents to decide if their child will return to school full-time or stay remote. If a parent chooses not to respond, to the survey, they will be marked as choosing in-person learning for the rest of the school year.

Survey results are not available yet.

In the last survey in 2020, about half of the district’s parents chose a remote model.

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Phase I & 2 students returned to their classrooms in February, after all schools went remote during the second surge in December.

Phase III students returned to their physical classrooms on February 24. It was the first time in a physical classroom for these students in the 2020-21 school year. They are attending school all five days.

Phase IV students, many who have not physically been in a classroom since March 2020, began on March 3 for cohort B and began on Monday, March 8. for cohort A.