Martha’s Vineyard public schools will stay closed for the remainder of the academic year along with their counterparts around the commonwealth, following an order from Gov. Charlie Baker Tuesday.
In a noontime briefing, Governor Baker said it would not be safe for students to return to school yet.
“It’s the right thing to do,” the governor said. He also closed day care centers through the end of June, and said remote learning would continue for the rest of the school year.
Richard Smith, assistant superintendent for the Vineyard public schools, said the news was unwelcome but not completely unexpected.
“When we started this we started looking long term,” Mr. Smith said. “We were hopeful that we would open up [in June]. Personally, I’m saddened by the announcement. We’ve got to really look to see how we can support children who are missing things like their graduation. The ceremonies are once in a lifetime, we’ve really got to look at how we might be able to support them and honor that.”
Meanwhile, he said remote learning instruction would continue, and he praised school staff for stepping up during unprecedented events.
“As far as instructionally how things go, as far as our food service program and our delivery to support the behavioral health needs of kids, they are pretty solid,” Mr. Smith said. “I’ve been very very proud of how our teachers and staff have responded to this.”
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