Boston Closes All Public Schools Starting March 17 Over Coronavirus Surge

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6242 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston closes all public schools starting March 17 as coronavirus cases reach 25 in the city. Mayor Martin Walsh announced Friday night that Boston Public Schools would shut to students beginning Tuesday, March 17, with a target reopening date of the week of April 27, following the school system's scheduled April vacation. Walsh cited 123 confirmed cases statewide and 25 in Boston as of March 13, the day President Trump declared a national emergency.

Schools will remain open Monday, March 16, to allow families to plan and students to collect belongings and take-home learning materials. Walsh emphasized that BPS's 53,000-plus students — nearly 75 percent economically disadvantaged, 8 percent experiencing homelessness, and one-third English language learners — require more preparation time than smaller districts already closing for two weeks. "We're not going to wait for more cases to be confirmed," Walsh said.

"Now is the time to take bold action." Walsh confirmed employees would continue to be compensated and said detailed plans for food distribution and remote learning would be released Sunday.

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Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6242 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.