Massachusetts schools this week reported 1279 new COVID-19 cases among students and staff.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the numbers Thursday in its weekly COVID-19 report. A total of 1095 students and 184 employees with district building access within seven days of the report tested positive between April 8 and April 14.
The case report marks an increase of 312 total cases from the previous week. The last report said 821 students and 157 district staff tested positive, for a total of 967 cases.
The majority of students in kindergarten through fifth grade in Massachusetts returned to in-person learning last week as part of the plan outlined by the state's Department of Education.
The state approved waivers for dozens of districts that aren't ready to return full-time and parents may still opt to have their kids learn remotely for the remainder of the school year.
