Pittsfield School Committee Takes Full Fall Return Off The Table

School districts around Massachusetts are racing to assemble plans for the fall semester to meet the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s August 10^th deadline. They’ve been asked to establish three plans – one for a full return, one for full remote learning, and one hybrid of the two. Already, the largest community in Berkshire County, Pittsfield, has taken a full return off the table. WAMC spoke with school committee chair Katherine Yon about how union demands, safety concerns and simple logistics informed the decision. Yon says the state’s move to allow school to start in mid-September has taken a little of the pressure off. She also discusses the newest wrinkle to fall preparations: word that superintendent Jake McCandless intends to leave Pittsfield to take over the neighboring Mount Greylock Regional School District.