Timeline of COVID-19 in Wayland

March 4 (2020): Concern over COVID-19 begins to rise, but Superintendent Arthur Unobskey labels school closure “unlikely,” and students are solely encouraged to wash their hands often and stay at home if they have flu-like symptoms.

March 10: First Wayland parent tests positive, and Loker Elementary School and Wayland Middle School close on March 11 for cleaning.

March 11: 8th grade DC trip and journalism Nashville convention field trip are canceled.

March 13: All Wayland Public Schools are shutdown with an expected return date of March 27.

March 15: Governor Charlie Baker orders all Massachusetts schools to shut down until April 7.

March 19: Phase 1 of Wayland’s Remote Learning Plan begins which entailed three weeks of optional enrichment work.

March 20: First death from COVID-19 in Massachusetts.

March 20: WHS postpones Class of ‘21’s junior prom to Sept. 12.

March 22: Governor Charlie Baker orders that all non-essential business shut down until April 7.

March 25: Governor Charlie Baker extends statewide school shutdown until May 4.

April 4: First death from COVID-19 in Wayland.

April 5: Many colleges drop their requirement for standardized test scores because the college board stopped administering the SAT and ACT for safety purposes.

April 13: Phase 2 of Wayland’s Remote Learning Plan begins. Phase 2 involved remote classes with work graded on a pass/fail basis.

April 21: Governor Charlie Baker announces that schools will be shut down for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year.

May 25: Beaches, parks, drive-in theaters, certain athletic fields and courts, fishing, hunting and boating activities, outdoor gardens and zoos are allowed to reopen with COVID-19 guidelines in place.

May 28: It is announced that for the first time in its 124 year history, the Boston Marathon will not be held, but participants can run the route on their own

June 8: Restaurants are allowed to begin outdoor dining, all retail stores open at 40% capacity, sports teams begin practicing with guidelines, public restrooms open up and pools are allowed to reopen at 40% capacity.

June 22: Indoor dining begins to reopen.

June 24: Last day of classes for Wayland High School.

Sept. 14: First day of classes using the remote learning model.

Oct. 19: First day of school using the Hybrid model where Cohort A attends school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, the school gets cleaned on Wednesdays and Cohort B attends school on Thursday and Fridays.

Oct. 27: First positive case of COVID-19 amongst WHS community.

Oct. 29: Second confirmed case of COVID-19 causes WHS to pivot-to-remote on Friday, Oct. 30.

Nov. 1: Third and fourth positive COVID-19 cases confirmed in WHS.

Nov. 25: Spirit Day is held virtually rather than the traditional pep rally and accompanying activities.

Feb. 23 (2021): WHS starts COVID-19 testing program where students are tested in pools on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Feb. 24: Class of ‘22’s junior prom is postponed until April 30, 2022.

March 3: The Wayland Public Schools School Committee votes that the elementary schools will return to all in person, five days a week learning on April 5

March 10: The Wayland Public Schools School Committee votes that the Middle School and High School will return to all in person, five days a week learning on April 27