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A message from the
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education

April 20, 2021
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News from Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Contents:

  1. Board Recap
  2. Update on Quarantine Guidance for Close Contacts
  3. Picture of the Week: FAFSA Completion Campaign
  4. Free School Meals Extended through Next School Year
  5. Virtual Listening Sessions for Families and Those Working with Families
  6. Reminder about Kaleidoscope PD Opportunities
  7. For Your Info:
    • Video contest
    • Statistics in Schools

1. Board Recap:


The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on Tuesday, April 20 in Malden. A video of the meeting is available at https://livestream.com/accounts/22459134. Board members approved proposed modifications to the Competency Determination requirement for the class of 2022 (download), voted to send proposed amendments to educator licensure regulations (download) out for public comment, voted to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to career technical education admissions regulations (download),  approved updated Massachusetts World Languages Curriculum Framework (download), and voted to make two modifications related to the COVID-19 emergency: one on the policy on certificates of attainment (download) and one on a proposed amendment to accountability regulations (download). The Board also voted to solicit public comment on a proposed amendment to charter school regulations (download).

2. Update on Quarantine Guidance for Close Contacts:


The following update to the quarantine guidance for close contacts was approved by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services after consultation with the Governor’s Medical Advisory Board on COVID-19 and other medical advisors. This updated guidance is effective immediately!

Close contacts who were exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual in the classroom or on the bus while both individuals were masked do not have to quarantine unless they were within 3 feet of distance of the COVID-19 positive individual for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. This does not apply if someone was identified as a close contact outside of the classroom or bus (e.g., in sports, extra-curriculars, lunch, etc.) or if masks are not worn by both persons at the time of the exposure. All other close contacts must follow the standard protocol for when a close contact may return to school.

The full guidance is posted on the COVID-19 guidance page and available for download.

As a reminder, DPH defines close contact as:
  • Being within 6 feet of a COVID-19 case (someone who has tested positive) for a total of 15 minutes during a 24-hour period. Multiple brief or transitory interactions (less than a minute) throughout the day are unlikely to result in 15 minutes of cumulative contact and do not meet the definition of close contact. Being in the same room as an individual if you are consistently separated by 6 feet of distance does not meet the definition of a close contact.
  • Close contact can occur while being with, caring for, living with, visiting, or sharing a healthcare waiting area or room with a COVID-19 case, OR
  • Having direct physical contact with the person (e.g. hugging or kissing), OR
  • Sharing eating or drinking utensils, OR
  • Having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g., being coughed on) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment.

3. Picture of the Week:
Fill out your FAFSA. You're worth it. www.gov/financial aid
Fewer high school seniors have filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) this year than in the previous two years, and DESE, the Executive Office of Education, the Department of Higher Education, MEFA (the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority), MassEdCO’s Educational Opportunity Centers, American Student Assistance, uAspire, and others are working together to help more students complete the FAFSA and keep college an option. A statewide "Worth It" campaign began on Thursday, April 15, and statewide and regional resources and events for April and May are posted online at www.mass.gov/financialaid. Please encourage any college-age students who haven’t filled out the FAFSA yet to connect with their school counselor and use the resources at the link above!

4. Free School Meals Extended through Next School Year:


The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended school meal waivers through the end of the 2021-2022 school year, allowing the continuation of universal free school meals at any school district throughout the state for the rest of this school year, through the summer, and through next school year. Schools nationwide will be allowed to serve meals through USDA’s National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option, which is typically only available during the summer months and which allows schools to serve free meals to all children. More information is available online.

5. Virtual Listening Sessions for Families and Those Working with Families:


The Massachusetts Family Engagement State Coalition, in partnership with the Statewide Family Engagement Center (MSFEC), will host virtual listening sessions in May for families, practitioners, community organizations and other interested community members to hear about current experiences related to schools and COVID-19 and racial equity. Similar to the sessions held last summer and this winter, these sessions will inform the coalition’s plans related to family engagement offerings in the upcoming year. For more details and to register, see the links for the Regional Coalition and Affinity Group sessions.

6. Reminder about Kaleidoscope PD Opportunities:


The Department’s Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning is pleased to repeat two professional learning opportunities this spring: Engaging Students as Complex Thinkers (Tuesday, May 18) and Designing for Equity (Tuesday, June 8). Each 90-minute session will also explore instructional practices that use authentic work to build and sustain student engagement in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. Educators will engage with colleagues from across the Commonwealth to strategize how to apply these practices in their own classrooms. Registration will close on a rolling basis for each session. Please click here to learn more and to register.

7. For Your Info:
  • Video contest: The Massachusetts Health Council and the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health invite middle and high school students to make a video, submit a written piece, or create a piece of art on the topic of mental health in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May. The organizations are asking students to explain what advice they would give a friend struggling with their mental health and how they would want others to help them. The contest is open through Friday, May 14, and the first place individual or team in each category will receive a $200 prize.
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