By JOSH RESNEK
The November 16 date when the Everett Public Schools were supposed to open for in- class learning has come and gone.
Online attendance is at a steady 90% of what it should be every day with approximately 5,000 Everett Public School students studying and attending classes online.
The lowest brackets of attendance are also declining.
The rise in COVID-19 infections and positive cases among all age groups in Everett forced the hand of Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani, according to exhaustive comments she made during Monday evening’s School Committee ZOOM meeting.
“We do not believe the state’s new COVID reporting practices should govern our decisions solely,” she said of the November 16 opening day having passed.
“We are resisting the temptation to bring back students in very large numbers at this time.
She insisted she believed this was the right thing to do given the circumstances.
The School Department will look at reopening, again, during the first week of December.
“We need to do whatever we can to stop the spread of the virus,” she said. “The charts all tell a clear story. Safety options must be exercised,” she added.
“We are in the deepest red of Massachusetts communities reporting new cases of the virus.
Everett’s positivity rate has climbed over 7%. It must remain at 5% or lower for two weeks before in-class instruction can be reconsidered.
“I am experiencing a great deal of frustration about when the time will come when we can welcome back large numbers of students back inside our school buildings.