Massachusetts COVID-19 K-12 FAQ

An updating list of questions I've received and the best answer I can find/get/give at this time. Send them along and we'll see what we can do; please note there is a Worcester-specific one here.

Map of the public school districts of Massachusetts, which hangs over my desk at work

Why are we closing the schools?
COVID-19 is highly contagious, and, as families and teachers know well, children are very effective at transmitting diseases to one another. While there's some indication that children mostly get this mildly (or even asymptomatically), there are of course children who don't, and children who are medically vulnerable.
The real concern, though, is all of the children passing this from one to another inevitably means that they then pass it on to the adults in their lives. And it is those adults--particularly those who are older or with underlying medical conditions--that are at particular risk.
This is a pandemic to which we are not yet immune, and community spread is not a question of if but when (note that link is from late February). Making that happen over as long a period as possible makes it more possible for the medical community to handle those who have gotten sick enough to need hospitalization, lest we, like Italy, have doctors have to make choices about who gets treatment at all. The hope is to "flatten the curve" to stretch out over time when people get it.
And so, we cancel everything, including--really importantly!!--schools.

So who cancelled the schools?
Okay, maybe you don't care, but I also keep this blog to keep notes for myself for future reference, so in it goes!
In other states, the governors have cancelled school for the entire state; as of today, more than half the country had closed K-12 schools in their states as of Monday, March 16; that was up to 37 states as of Wednesday, March 17; this map from EdWeek is tracking that.
In Massachusetts, Governor Baker did that Sunday, announcing all schools would be closed through April 6, but--and here's the kicker--he did so only after every single district in the Commonwealth had already announced that they would be closed this week; the final one, Bristol Aggie, announced at 3:30 Sunday afternoon.
Governor Baker announced at his press conference hours later that the schools would close.

If it's a pandemic, why didn't he do that sooner?
Well, that's the question. Much of the answer appears to lie in the guidance given by Mass DPH, which states that a family member of a student or staff member should trigger only a two day closure (with cleaning), and which states that if a student or staff member is diagnosed as positive, the school, after discussions, if it's deemed that there has been close contact with others, then that school (only!) should close for 14 days.
This when we know there are not enough tests, so there are absolutely cases about which we do not know. And we are about eleven days behind Italy on the curve of this. Time is very limited for us to make a difference.
The superintendents thus made the decisions themselves (in consultation with each other, as only joint action on this is effective) to close the schools.
If the curve bends and we flatten the curve? It's the superintendents that will have done it.

When do schools reopen?
At this point? April 6

Is that realistic? 
Good question. We don't know. The CDC has now updated its guidance to note that closures of more like eight weeks (rather than our currently called-for three) may be necessary. The Washington Post wrote this today:

How long are we going to have to keep this up? The closed schools, working from home, six feet of personal space and zombie-apocalypse empty streets?
It’s the question now preoccupying America as millions of parents silently scream it into the void amid the coronavirus pandemic. But it is an especially hard one for science to answer.
The best and most honest reply, according to epidemiologists and virologists, is simple: “It depends.” It’s not going to be over anytime soon — a matter of months rather than weeks.

So hunker down.

I've seen that some states or districts are shifting school to online. Is Massachusetts doing that?
No. While many districts are offering resources online, there is no provision in Massachusetts education to allow for remote schooling, save for the two virtual schools and the now-cancelled blizzard bag pilot. As the Commissioner said at the time of the cancellation,

“The decision to discontinue the use of Alternative Structured Learning Day Programs is based upon a variety of factors, including concerns about equitable access for all students,”

The phrase "equitable access" here doesn't only mean the massive haves and have nots divide on internet access; it also means access to the curriculum for those who need additional support, like special education.
The way the Governor's press release describes it is this:

Although schools must suspend in-person educational operations, staff should be planning for how best to equitably provide alternative access to student learning opportunities during this period and potentially beyond. Equally important, school personnel should develop plans for ensuring to the greatest extent possible that families have access to essential non-academic services for their children – especially involving special education and food services for students who are most vulnerable.

Note the phrase is "student learning opportunities." These aren't school days for students.

So does this work count?
I like the way that Ludlow Superintendent Todd Gadza, citing the direction given by DESE last last week, has framed this:

According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, all schools should provide alternative academic review and enrichment learning opporutnities so they can maintain academic readiness. The DESE compared this work to a more robust version of the reading lists and enrichment activities that we provide for students over the summer.

Count for grades? No.
Count for learning? Yes, of course.

Do we have to make these days up?
Schools, per the guidance issued last week, will have to be in session through their 185th scheduled day (every district has to have a calendar of 180 days as required plus 5 snow days). The Governor has also promised that no school will need to go past June 30.

What about the MCAS?
I'm always tempted to say, "What ABOUT the MCAS?"As I heard someone say last week, this should be pretty far down on our list right now. 
We don't know at this point, and the state isn't as yet saying, but it has been observed that no school in Massachusetts is going to be in session on March 24, the date of the 10th grade ELA exam.
The federal government has, as Chalkbeat reported last week, offered a waiver of the federal testing requirement under ESSA for which states can apply. Texas announced today that they will be applying for such a waiver.
Should Massachusetts do that--which we don't know--and should it be granted, the Legislature would then have to change state law, as it, too, requires annual testing.
March 18 update: Now that the vast majority of schools have closed, pressure on the fed to simply give a blanket waiver has increased. Sixteen states have now asked for a waiver, suspended, or cancelled spring tests.
March 20 update: Today, U.S. Ed issue sweeping language around their willingness to issue waivers:

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today students impacted by school closures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can bypass standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year. Upon a proper request, the Department will grant a waiver to any state that is unable to assess its students due to the ongoing national emergency, providing relief from federally mandated testing requirements for this school year...
To protect students' health and safety, a state that deems it necessary should proceed with cancelling its statewide assessments for the 2019-2020 school year. Since student performance, as measured by assessments, is required to be used in statewide accountability systems, any state that receives a one-year waiver may also receive a waiver from the requirement that this testing data be used in the statewide accountability system due to the national emergency.

With schools out for such very different lengths of time, is it really going to be a fair comparison this year?
Setting aside what I know will be the inevitable response that it isn't a fair comparison any year, I would say that we don't, as yet, know that. This was more true on Sunday afternoon than it was Sunday night, though; right now, shy of 6% of the state is out another month, with Boston and Everett both closed until the end of April.

What about the SAT? the AP exams?
Many testing locations across Massachusetts were closed Saturday, cancelling SATs. The College Board has now cancelled the May 2 SAT.
On APs, the College Board so far has offered to extend the testing dates, but it's going to depend on how long schools are closed.
As to what consequence this all has, we don't know yet. But it is happening to the whole country--the whole world!--so this isn't a "just you" situation.
As I saw someone noted today, though, if you're a junior, don't write your essay on the coronavirus, because everyone is going to!

Are kids still getting lunch?
As has been widely observed, schools feed lots of kids. When there is no school, some kids go hungry.
Massachusetts like New Hampshire and other states applied for and received a waiver under the USDA to allow for students to continue to receive meals even as schools are closed, and to receive them in a way that doesn't have them eat on site. That is usually required to ensure the child is getting the meal. Now, we need students not to congregate.
You can find a map here of sites at which lunches are being provided for kids in Massachusetts.

Is the state offering anything for instruction?
The Department tweeted this out today:

As schools close, @WGBH @WGBH_edu, @WGBY, w. @massgovernor & @MASchoolsK12, will supplement district efforts through distance learning via TV & dig. platforms. Our aim is to reach as many students & caregivers as possible. Watch this space for details. For now, see @pbsteachers.

— Massachusetts K-12 (@MASchoolsK12) March 16, 2020

Is there going to be any financial support provided to school districts because of this?
So far, the only answer I've heard is that the federal government could be providing aid to the state, but that there isn't any indication as to how that's being directed.
But I also know that districts are saving their receipts!

Are school committees still meeting, and may they?
Yes, they are--many held emergency meetings over the weekend to discuss and hold votes on school closure and the provisions need--but many also are using the options given public bodies by the Governor under the declaration under the state of emergency.

What about students with special education needs?
The Department issued the following general guidance last week:

If a school closure causes educational services for all students to pause within a school or district, then the school or district is generally not required to provide services to the affected students with disabilities during that same period of time. However, districts should be communicating with parents and guardians prior to, during, and after a school closure regarding their child's IEP services. This ongoing communication will help educators, administrators, and parents/caregivers understand any impact of the closure on students' access to a free and appropriate public education. After an extended closure, districts should review how the closure impacted the delivery of special education and related services and convene individual IEP team meetings if necessary. Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston will contact special education directors to hold a webinar related to special education concerns as soon as possible.

That call was held Friday afternoon, 'though I do not know what was said.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights today released a webinar and fact sheet. It includes this:

As more schools across the nation shift to distance learning, OCR's webinar reminds decisionmakers of their responsibility in making distance learning accessible to students with disabilities, unless equally effective alternate access is provided. Online learning tools must be accessible to students with disabilities, and they must be compatible with the various forms of assistive technology that students might use to help them learn. The webinar advises school leaders to routinely test their online activities to ensure accessibility.

What should we be doing with our students now they're home?
First, please practice social distancing; we didn't close all the schools to have all the kids gather together, anyway. Don't, please, go to the playground. Don't have playdates. Be thoughtful about what freedoms your teen has.
Second--and I want to write wrote a separate post on this--there's a decent chance that if you're reading this post, you have some advantage. Maybe you're less worried about losing a job; maybe you have space for a child to read; maybe you have enough to eat.
Many, many people do not. And many of those are children.
If what you are worried right now is your children's education, you're in good company. But if that is your main worry right now? You're lucky.
This is absolutely going to have lasting impacts on children's education. It will have less impact on some children than on others. I would ask that we fight for those least advantaged to have their needs met first.
Updates as I have them or I have more to write