Reporter’s Notebook: Flu vax requirement lifted, but MCAS will stay

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is removing the requirement for flu vaccination for attendance in childcare/preschool, primary, secondary and postsecondary education. 

“Preliminary data show that this has been a mild flu season to date, presumably as people have received their seasonal flu vaccine and have been adhering to mask-wearing and social distancing due to COVID-19,” the DPH statement reads.  “Given the intensive Commonwealth-wide efforts regarding COVID-19 vaccination, DPH wants to alleviate the burden to obtain flu vaccination and focus on continuing our COVID -19 vaccination efforts.”

DPH continues to strongly recommend that everyone age six months and older receive their seasonal flu vaccine each year.  

The updated schedule can be found here.

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Will students be required to take the MCAS this year?

“The belief is they will go forward in one form of MCAS this year,” Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings said. 

Any testing would be done in school — a difficult proposition given COVID-19 precautions.

“We don’t know exactly how that will work,” Cummings said.

The test results will likely be used as a diagnostic tool to see how students are faring during the pandemic.

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Here’s one way recent Grafton High School graduates have been showing their dedication to their alma mater: college students who came home for Thanksgiving/Christmas break have been working as substitute teachers.

“It’s much better than we were seeing a few months ago,” Cummings said.