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FRAMINGHAM – Less than 65% of Framingham High School students have received the COVID-19 vaccine, as of Monday, September 20.

That is more than 850 students are Framingham High School have yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

For the Classes of 2022 and 2023, only 66% of students are fully vaccinated.

That number falls to 65% for sophomores but drops to just 52% for freshman at Framingham High.

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Massachusetts Department of Education voted to mandate masks for all K-12 students in the Commonwealth to start the school year until October 1. But come October 1, if a school has a vaccination percentage of 80% or higher, than the school district can decide if only non vaccinated students and staff must wear a mask at that school.

The decision is made school by school and not by district.

Natick, Wellesley, Newton high schools are already at 80%.

The COVID-19 vaccine is available for all students age 12 or higher, so theoretically every student at Framingham High could be administered the vaccine.

Last week, vaccine clinics were held at Framingham High and Walsh Middle.

Clinics will be held at Fuller and Cameron Middle on Sept. 24.

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The district’s “data on vaccinated students ages 12 years of age and older comes from a comparison of COVID vaccine data from our district student electronic health system (maintained by our school nurses) and the Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS: The intent of is to MIIS is to establish a complete, accurate, secure, real-time immunization record for residents of Massachusetts of all ages.),” explained FPS Director of Health & Wellness Judy Styer to SOURCE.

The numbers at Framingham High have increased since August.

Framingham Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay told the School Committee in August that for the Class of 2022 – 61% of the class was fully vaccinated and another 3% was partially vaccinated, meaning they have had one of two shots.

In August, the junior class was 57% vaccinated and another 3% was partially vaccinated.

For the sophomore class, 56% was vaccinated and another 5% was partially vaccinated.

For the Class of 2025 – the incoming freshmen – 53% was vaccinated and another 4% was partially vaccinated.

Editor’s Note: The Class of 2025 dropped from 53% to 52% as more members of the class were added. The freshman class is now more than 765 students.

Below is a graphic released by the Framingham Public Schools for COVID-19 vaccine rates for students in grades 7-12.

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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.