Back to school: Boston students return to class Thursday

Tens of thousands of students, teachers, and staff in Boston’s public schools will return to class on Thursday for the first time this year, and many will face some new challenges getting there.

The MBTA Orange Line shutdown is slated to continue through September 19th and state transportation leaders admitted on Tuesday that they will face their own “big test” on Thursday with schools reopening in the city. The T said about 60 percent of work planned during the shutdown had been completed as of Tuesday, but rail, track, and signal replacement continues.

All 7th-12th grade students in Boston are eligible for a free M7 MBTA pass through the Boston Public Schools. The city says M7 passes will be available for pickup at school on the first day of school. The MBTA will be free to students on the first day of school on Thursday.

BPS says it also received 5,000 7-day link-passes from the MBTA to give to families. “Passes have been distributed to BPS school leaders to provide to families as needed,” according to the city.

The city has posted transportation resources for students here.

In preparations for the start of classes, the city of Boston is launching a canvassing effort on Wednesday morning to encourage some hesitant students to return to school.

The city’s Office of Secondary Schools and its Re-Engagement Center will canvas neighborhoods in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain as part of an effort “to recover students who may have dropped out of school or who are chronically absent,” according to a statement from the city.

Mayor Wu will be joined by BPS Superintendent Drew Echelon.

The new superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Mary Skipper, will take charge of the school system later this month. Skipper has served as the Superintendent of the Somerville Public Schools for the past seven years.

The canvassing will take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

According to statistics posted on the Boston Public Schools website, the city teaches more than 54,000 students in 125 schools. that’s about 74 percent of the school-age children who live in Boston.

You can learn more about registering as a student for Boston Public Schools here.

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