The Pittsfield School Committee has voted unanimously to begin the transition back to hybrid/in-person education. The transition calls for career, vocational and technical students to return to in-person learning on Monday. Some special education students would restart in-person on February 8 followed by the remainder of the student body the week of February 22. Mayor Linda Tyer has said her top priority is to reopen the city’s schools.
"We know how important it is for their social emotional wellbeing and their academic accomplishments to be in school, and that has to be the top priority for this entire community," Tyer told WAMC earlier this year.
The Pittsfield Public School District has about 5,400 students.
Friday afternoon, the United Educators of Pittsfield issued a statement saying it is opposed to the Pittsfield School Committee’s "reckless decision" to return to in-person learning.
“Since the health and safety of our community’s staff, students and families are at stake, it’s critical that these important decisions be made in a transparent fashion - one that inspires confidence in the results. The district has an obligation to start providing parents and staff with consistent, fact-based information that will allow the community to make informed decisions,” said UEP President Melissa Campbell. “That means providing transparency on the type of testing that will be done, disclosing the progress of any remedial efforts to fix heating and ventilation problems, and sharing the results of surveillance pooled testing at the schools.”
