Boston Public Schools Welcoming Back Nearly 8,000 Students to Classrooms on

Boston Public Schools will welcome back thousands of students into classrooms beginning Monday, starting with pre-school and kindergarten through Grade 3 students.

The nearly 8,000 students returning Monday will join about 7,000 students with high needs that already attend class in person — they have been back since December.

Mayor Marty Walsh announced the plan last week, saying coronavirus case numbers continue to trend downward.

“It will be the first time our kids will be in school in nearly a year,” Walsh said Thursday. “This is a big step for us. The positivity rate is in the right place, so getting our kids in school now is the next important step we can have for our children.”

Mayor Marty Walsh announced that Boston Public Schools will reopen for K-3 students starting Monday.

The phased approach continues on March 15 when students in grades 4 through 8 return, followed by all other students on March 29. Parents can still opt for remote learning if they choose.

Some parents can’t wait for their kids to go back but the Boston Teachers Union still has some concerns.

“I’m tired of being a teacher, a maid, everything else. I’m tired,” Boston parent Annia Janvier said. “As soon as I go out of the door their computers close, so yeah I’m happy for schools to be open.”

Students at Boston Public Schools will be heading back to the classroom in phases.

“The schools we visited — the air purifiers are in place. There are working windows; there’s an ample supply of PPE,” BTU President Jessica Tang said. “The one major recommendation, again, that educators should get vaccinated has not been completed or even started here in Massachusetts.”

Early education and K-12 workers are listed as Group 3 in Phase 2 of the Massachusetts COVID-19 vaccination plan, which means they are next in line but not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.

The union also pointed out that many families actually prefer remote learning.