Athletics Contributing To Rise in Framingham Schools COVID Cases

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FRAMINGHAM – Athletic teams are contributing to the rise in COVID cases at Framingham Public Schools, specifically Framingham High School.

Last week, contact tracing nurses made phone calls for COVID positive cases related to both the boys ice hockey team and the girls soccer team. Last month, there were cases tied to field hockey and girls ice hockey.

Most of the boys hockey team, players & coaches, were under quarantine after the Framingham High vs Xavierian High game at Loring Arena last week.

As of 6 a.m. today, Framingham High was reporting 7 cases in the first 5 days in April.

The school leads the district with 38 cases in the district this academic year, but not all the cases are tied to athletics.

Athletics did not resume at Framingham High until late February.

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In March, the Framingham Public School district reported 59 COVID-19 cases.

In the first 5 days in April, there have been 13 cases reported in the public school district.

Today, was the first day elementary school students begin their return to full-time in-person classroom education.

About 85% of students will be returning in grades K-5.

The district does not list if cases are teachers, staff or students in the dashboard, or when they sends emails to staff or families, but Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay did confirm that recent cases at the high school are tied to athletics.

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Tremblay said he asked the principal and the athletic director to remind the coaches that all teams need to adhere to protocols and to work with the contact tracing nurses if they receive phone calls.

Last week, the state said the Framingham Public School district had the fifth highest COVID cases among staff & students in the Commonwealth.

As of today, the public school district now has 120 coronavirus cases in the 2020-21 school year.

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The district has been testing staff weekly.

Students are being testing via pooled testing.

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

Earlier this month, the administration provided the total district participation rate by students. It is 46%. Pooled testing is not for remote students. As of April 1, the rate had increased to 56%.

But the rate of pooled testing at Framingham High is under 40%.

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