The School Committee voted to anticipate a potential rise in COVID-19 cases because of holiday gatherings and close the school buildings from Jan. 4 to Jan. 18 next year. The district will return to hybrid learning on Tuesday, Jan. 19, the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The vote was 5-2, with committee members Emily Daunis and Karen Bond voting against and Ian Bergeron, James Holmes, Tara Jacobs, Heather Boulger and Mayor Thomas Bernard voting in favor. Superintendent Barbara Malkas said the concern was related to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the community seen after the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. With a week and half break coming up and another round of holidays, there is potential for further spread from gatherings.