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From YouTube: Back-To-School: 2021-2022 School Year 9-2-21
Description
Mayor Janey is joined by Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius to discuss preparations ahead of the start of the school year.
A
A
It's
important
that
we
recognize
that
this
is
the
third
school
year
that
is
being
impacted
by
the
covet
19
pandemic
in
preparation
for
a
safe
return
to
school.
We
have
implemented
a
strategy
that
includes
number
one:
a
mass
mandate
for
our
bps
schools.
We
were
proud
to
be
the
first
in
the
commonwealth
to
do
so
because
wearing
a
mask
is
an
easy
and
effective
way
to
slow
the
spread
of
covet
19.,
two,
a
30
million
dollar
investment
for
our
schools.
A
A
This
past
sunday's,
back
to
school,
backpack
distribution
and
vaccine
drive
in
matapan
resulted
in
nearly
50
additional
people
getting
vaccinated
in
one
of
our
hardest
hit
communities.
We
will
continue
our
vaccine
efforts
during
the
school
year.
Testing
is
also
a
major
component
of
slowing
the
spread
and
fighting
covid.
You
will
hear
more
of
our
testing
protocols
from
the
superintendent
and
our
partners.
A
I
want
to
take
time
to
thank
our
incredible
teachers,
school
staff,
students
and
parents
who
have
been
working
incredibly
hard
over
the
last
18
months.
Despite
best
efforts,
we
know
that
remote
learning
cannot
take
the
place
of
students
being
in
the
classrooms
with
their
teachers
and
their
friends,
and
this
is
especially
true
of
our
most
vulnerable
students.
A
A
With
this
three
million
dollar
investment,
we
have
seen
more
boston
residents
getting
vaccinated.
Our
efforts
to
boost
vaccinations
are
being
met
with
success.
Seventy
percent
of
boston
residents
have
at
least
one
dose
of
the
vaccine,
and
we
have
seen
increases
in
vaccinations
among
black
and
latino
residents,
populations
disproportionately
impacted
by
the
virus.
A
A
We
will
continue
to
prioritize
just
distributing
vaccines,
because
the
vaccine
is
the
best
way
to
protect
ourselves
and
our
loved
ones
from
covet
19..
We
also
need
to
see
testing
continue,
please
get
tested.
If
you
have
symptoms,
if
you
have
traveled
or
if
you
have
been
exposed,
this
will
help
us
better
understand
and
control
the
spread
of
the
virus.
A
We
will
continue
to
follow
the
science,
the
advice
of
public
health
experts
and
the
data
that
we
are
continuously
monitoring
as
a
part
of
our
overall
efforts.
I
want
to
remind
everyone
of
the
city-wide
mass
mandate
that
went
into
effect
last
friday.
This
applies
to
all
indoor
spaces
open
to
the
public.
This
public
mass
mandate
will
help
limit
transmission
of
the
delta
variant
mass,
protect
those
who
wear
them
and
those
who
are
around
them,
including
people
who
are
most
vulnerable.
A
A
B
B
B
This
plan
is
not
for
students
who
may
not
need
to
who
may
need
to
quarantine
as
a
result
of
exposure
to
covet
19.
for
students
who
may
need
to
quarantine
there.
There
will
they
will
have
access
to
consistent
tutoring
technology
and
the
same
lessons
and
materials
that
are
taught
within
the
classroom
from
their
caring
teachers.
B
B
We
have
also
been
working
all
summer
to
build,
build
upon
last
year's
efforts
to
ensure
our
health
and
safety
protocols
are
in
place.
We
are
focusing
on
four
mitigation
strategies
that
the
mayor
eluded,
consistent
and
correct,
mask
wearing
expanding
access
to
vaccines
and
promoting
their
safety,
frequent
covid19
testing
and
ventilation
and
air
quality.
B
We
are
asking
our
students
and
our
families
to
monitor
for
symptoms
of
covid19,
as
we
did
last
year.
If
anyone
feels
sick,
if
their
student
or
staff
they
should
stay
home
from
school,
bps
will
continue
to
provide
covid19
screen
testing
to
students
and
staff
by
our
amazing
partners
at
cic
health
who
have
joined
us
today,
who
helped
us
all
summer
long
and
who
will
expand
our
partnership.
B
B
B
B
B
This
is
while
they're
inside
school
buildings
and
during
yellow
bus
transportation
during
athletics,
and
also
when
also
as
they
return
to
school
next
week,
they
will
be
given
multiple
reminders
about
this
new
mass
mandate.
The
state
has
lifted
all
emergency
orders,
including
removing
expectation
of
social
distancing,
so
we
are
not
enforcing
physical
distancing.
B
B
B
B
B
B
I
appreciate
your
support
in
helping
us
share
this
information
with
our
families,
and
earlier
today
we
sent
an
email
to
families
with
a
link
to
our
back
to
school
guide,
which
is
available
in
10
languages
on
our
website
at
bostonpublicschools.org
forward.
Slash
back
to
school,
we'll
cover
these
details
during
our
upcoming
virtual
community
meeting
tonight,
tuesday
september
7th
details
for
both
of
our
meetings
are
available
at
bostonpublicschools.org
forward.
Slash
back
to
school.
B
C
C
C
To
date,
we
have
27
covet
night.
We
have
held
27
covet
19
clinics
in
schools
and
51.
Additional
schools
are
planning
vaccine
clinic
events
in
the
weeks
to
come.
This
unique
collaboration
has
allowed
us
to
successfully
administer
1319
vaccine
doses,
which
also
includes
800
children
from
ages
12
to
19..
C
We
know
that
our
children
have
experienced
drastic
changes
to
their
academic
and
their
social
lives,
and
they
are
experiencing
negative
impacts
from
this
pandemic
that
will
last
for
years
to
come.
We
owe
it
to
them
to
ensure
a
safe
environment,
a
safe
school
year
in
a
school
year
that
will
be
uninterrupted
by
decreasing
the
number
of
cova
19
infections
to
as
low
a
rate
as
possible.
C
D
D
D
I
can
say
that
the
technology
for
this
has
improved
significantly
since
we
got
started
the
the
the
approach
that
we're
using
is
easier
than
ever
for
schools,
we've
eliminated.
That
need
for
a
second
test
that
you
may
have
heard
about
in
the
spring.
That's
no
longer
necessary
in
the
program
as
part
of
our
regular
surveillance
testing
and
the
cost.
If
you,
if
you
remember
at
the
outset
of
the
pandemic,
the
cost
is
something
about
30
times
cheaper
now
than
it
was
back
then.
So
that's
that's
made
this
all
much
more
accessible.
D
As
people
know,
the
federal
government,
through
the
states
have
funded
all
of
this
testing,
so
there's
no
cost
to
families
or
to
schools
for
this.
This
kind
of
testing
our
purpose
here
is
to
make
it
safe
to
come
back
to
school
and
we
don't
know
with
delta
how
this
will
will
unfold.
But
we
do
know
that
since
august
of
last
year,
when
we
started
testing,
none
of
the
schools
where
we
tested
had
outbreaks
and
none
of
the
schools
where
we
tested
had
to
close
there
are
a
lot
of
schools
around
the
country.
D
Now
that
are
facing
closures
and
outbreaks,
and
I
think
boston.
Public
schools
is
in
the
forefront
of
leading
cities
with
its
use
of
these
not
only
testing
but
also
masking
also
its
vaccination
mandates
within
staff,
and
I
applaud
the
efforts
of
boston,
medical
center
working
with
school
school
bus
drivers
and
all
of
this
so
we're
working
together,
we're
using
all
of
the
available
technologies,
the
best
known
approaches-
and
I
think
that
means
that
our
kids
are
going
to
be
able
to
be
back
together.
D
I
know
by
my
youngest
kid
my
daughter
is
16
was
really
upset
about
not
being
able
to
have
the
interactions
that
she
hoped
to
have
in
school
last
year
and
is
really
excited
to
be
able
to
have
that
this
year,
and
that's
thanks
to
all
the
efforts
of
everybody
up
here
that
this
is
possible
for
kids
in
the
boston
public
schools.
So
thank
you
very
much
and
I'll
stick
around
for
any
questions.
E
Good
afternoon,
everyone,
my
name,
is
catherine
de
jesus
martinez
and
I
am
a
senior
at
boston,
international
newcomers
academy.
I,
together
with
some
of
my
peers
volunteered
in
the
first
school
clinic
bps,
had
in
where
we
helped
translate
to
parents
and
students.
I
also
got
vaccinated
in
the
first
school
clinic
and
as
well
as
other
people.
I
was
very
concerned
on
the
side
effects.
Was
I
going
to
get
a
massive
headache
or
have
fever?
Well,
to
my
surprise,
my
only
side
effect
was
feeling
tired,
something
I
used
to
my
benefit.
E
E
E
E
A
I
want
to
thank
our
entire
team
of
partners
who
have
joined
us
today,
but
not
just
for
being
here
for
the
work
that
they
do
every
single
day
on
behalf
of
young
people
in
our
city.
Thank
you
all.
Thank
you,
superintendent,
thank
you,
president
and
chair,
and
our
medical
professionals
and
again
our
student
happy
to
take
a
couple
of
questions.
A
A
C
A
Relates
to
individuals
who
are
dealing
with
substance
use
disorder
and
we
refuse
to
refer
to
them
as
mass
and
cass,
which
is
dehumanizing.
We
continue
to
prioritize
public
health.
We
continue
to
provide
care
and
treatment.
Just
last
week,
55
individuals
were
referred
to
treatment.
We
also
continue
to
work
on
getting
folks
into
shelter
and
to
clean
the
area
right
now.
A
lot
of
the
focus
has
been
on
our
return
to
school
efforts.
B
We
typically
have
around
700
and
700
to
720
bus
drivers.
We
also
have
a
standby
force.
Those
bus
drivers
are
not
typically
assigned
routes,
so
they
can
take
it
in
case
there
are
absences
and
we
have
about
600.
I
think
in
56
that
went
through
the
bid
yesterday,
so
we're
somewhere
around
40
to
60
short.
B
Well,
they're
still
getting
to
the
bottom
of
that,
because
our
roots
are
still,
you
know,
you
could
have
a
route
that
takes
a
special
ed
student
out
to
a
suburban
area
and
brings
them
back
and
they're
getting
to
the
bottom.
So
we
don't
have
those
numbers
just
quite
yet,
because
the
bid
just
finished
up
yesterday.
B
B
B
We
haven't
analyzed
yet
because
of
course,
we
just
closed
our
bid
yesterday,
on
the
reasons
why
we
do
anticipate
that
there
are
some
of
our
drivers
who
are
helping
other
family
members
because
of
the
crisis
in
haiti,
there
could
be
some
who
maybe
don't
want
a
vaccine,
but
we
don't.
We
don't
have
that
information
just
yet.
A
Through
my
conversations
with
many
of
the
bus
drivers,
there
has
been
an
interest
in
getting
more
bus
drivers
vaccinated.
It
is
why
we're
standing
up
vaccine
clinics
in
the
bus
yards
as
they
have
requested,
so
we
will
continue
to
work
with
them
to
get
their
team
vaccinated,
as
well
as
all
city
workers,
as
well
as
addressing
the
routing
issues
that
the
superintendent
spoke
of
any
other
questions.