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Many Western Mass. Public Schools Closing In Response To Coronavirus

Northampton High School.
John Suchocki
/
Masslive / masslive.com/photos
Northampton High School.

Updated at 11:24 p.m.

Most students in western Massachusetts won't be going to school on Monday after districts decided to close because of the new coronavirus.

Massachusetts officials are telling local school districts to decide if they should close based on whether students or staff have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to people with the virus.

Schools across the region — including Chicopee, Holyoke, Pittsfield, Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield — decided to shut down.

Northampton superintendent John Provost said he decided to close after speaking with the school physician.

"She advised me that it's expected that over the next few weeks our ability to conduct tests will ramp up significantly," Provost said. "Based on that information, I made the decision to close schools for two weeks to allow stockpiles of tests to arrive in our part of the state, so that we could then more faithfully follow the guidance we received.

Staff in Northampton are expected to work on Monday.

As for meals for students who need them, Provost said he'll be meeting with the director of the Northampton school lunch program next week to try and set up a system to do so. 

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
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