Boston Delays Kindergarten School Reopening One Week as COVID Rate Hits 4.1 Percent

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip9063 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston delays kindergarten school reopening by one week as COVID positivity rate reaches 4.1 percent. Mayor Martin Walsh announced Wednesday that Phase 3 of the Boston Public Schools hybrid reopening, which would have brought kindergartners in grades K-0 through K-2 into buildings on October 15, is being pushed to October 22 at the earliest after the city's seven-day moving average positivity rate crossed the administration's internal 4 percent threshold for the first time since early June. Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez reported that average daily positive tests climbed from 65.6 to 73, with Hyde Park recording the sharpest neighborhood-level increase.

Approximately 1,300 highest-need students — including children with disabilities, English learners, and students experiencing homelessness — will continue to attend school in person beginning Thursday. Special Education Parent Advisory Council Chair Roxanne Harvey told reporters that after just two days of in-person learning, "it's almost like seeing different children," citing visible gains in speech and social skills among students who had regressed during months of remote instruction.

In the full story:

• COVID Data Presentation
• The Phase 3 Delay Announcement
• Current In-Person Enrollment and the Highest-Need Students
• Voices from the Community
• Housing Stability and Eviction Update
• West Roxbury Incident
• The complete report — 1,896 words

Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip9063 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.