Baker-Polito Administration Announces
Extension of School and Non-Emergency Child Care Program Closures and Steps to
Ensure Housing Stability To Support COVID-19 Response
All schools, child care programs will
remain closed through May 4
BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today
announced new actions to support the ongoing COVID-19 response, including
extending the closure of all public and private schools and non-emergency child
care programs and steps to protect homeowners and low-income tenants from
eviction and foreclosure. The Department of Public Health (DPH) also issued an
order relative to pharmacies and grocery stores.
Schools and
Non-Emergency Child Care Programs: Governor Charlie Baker issued an emergency order extending the closure
of all public and private schools, and all non-emergency childcare programs,
until May 4 in an effort to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in the
Commonwealth.
- This
order expands on previous orders issued on March 15 and March 18 suspending normal
educational operations at schools and non-emergency child care programs
until April 6, and the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) established
a process to approve Exempt Emergency Child Care Programs
to serve vulnerable children and families of first responders and
essential workers.
- This
closure extends one week beyond scheduled spring vacation week on most
school district calendars.
- The
order does not apply to residential special education schools.
- This
extension will allow school administrators and educators added planning
time to ensure students can complete course requirements, as well as
provide teachers with time to expand remote learning opportunities.
Read the Orders
here: K-12
School Order | Early
Education School Order
Remote Learning and
Education: During this time,
the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is requesting that
educators continue to develop and assemble high-quality educational materials
to provide students with effective remote learning resources through the month
of April. The Department is also creating a model for districts to use and
modify in collaboration with local stakeholders to fit their school district’s
needs, and will continue to work with schools to identify best practices for
implementing effective remote learning.
Remote learning
encompasses a wide variety of learning methods, including both analog and
online. While technology is an excellent tool, districts should also consider
ways students can continue to learn offline.
This could include exploring nature, activities
to support students’ local communities (with appropriate social distancing) and engaging in hands-on projects and artistic
creations that stem from students’ experiences.
Additionally,
through a new partnership between DESE and WGBH, educational resources will be posted on
the department’s website, and middle and high
school students can access WGBH and WGBY educational programming on WGBH and WGBY
on the WORLD channel from noon to 5 p.m.
Housing Stability
for Vulnerable Populations: The Baker-Polito Administration announced steps to keep vulnerable
families in their homes, preserve the health and safety of low-income renters
and homeowners, and prevent homelessness due to reduced or lost income. These
steps include the following:
- DHCD
is moving to temporarily suspend terminations of federal and state rental
vouchers under their purview.
- MassHousing
is transferring $5 million to the Department of Housing and Community
Development (DHCD) for a COVID-19 Rental Assistance for Families in
Transition (RAFT) fund to assist families facing rent insecurity.
- The
Division of Banks (DOB) has issued new guidance to Massachusetts financial
institutions and lenders urging them to provide relief for borrowers and
will advocate for a 60-day stay on behalf of all homeowners facing
imminent foreclosure on their homes.
- DHCD
is issuing guidance recommending that all owners of state aided low-income
housing, including Local Housing Authorities and private owners, suspend
both pending non-essential evictions and the filing of any new
non-essential evictions.
- Affordable
housing operators are urged to suspend non-essential evictions for loss of
income or employment circumstances resulting in a tenant’s inability to
make rent.
- This guidance urges operators to establish reasonable payment
plans, notify Section 8 or public housing residents about interim income
recertification to adjust rent payments, and to consider offering relief
funding for residents ineligible for income reassessment.
Read the DHCD
Guidance Here:
Notices and
guidance regarding federal and state rental assistance programs:
- Guidance
for Administering MRVP
- Guidance
for Administering ARVP
- Initial
policies and procedures for federal rental assistance administered by DHCD
Pharmacies and
Grocery Stores: Today, DPH
issued a new order to support pharmacies and grocery stores and their employees
during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This order will require grocery
stores and pharmacies to:
- Provide
at least one hour per day of shopping for adults over 60-years-old.
- Offer
sanitation options, such as hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, as
available, to clean shopping carts and points of frequent contact.
- Appropriate
social distancing policies, including a marked “Social Distancing
Line,” beginning six feet away from all checkout counters.
- Close any self-serve food stations.
- Instruct store employees who are ill to stay
home, and for stores to accommodate
employees who fall in the high-risk category with alternative assignments
to limit exposure.
The Administration
will continue to update the public on further developments and individuals are
encouraged to consult both the Department of Public Health and
the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention websites for the most up to date information.
The latest
information and guidance regarding COVID-19 is always available at mass.gov/COVID19.
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