Even before the pandemic, several Braintree schools, including the high school were having issues with crowding due to limited space for students.  Costs were climbing for school operating expenses, including the cost of coal to heat the high school.  The cost of coal, which had already increased during the pandemic, was one of the major expenses of the Braintree schools at that time, as the buildings were all in need of coal for heating.  During the 1919 town report, it is mentioned that there was already a plan underway to build a new high school since the existing one was not sufficient for the town’s students.  The town report also mentions that Braintree had the largest number of pupils per teacher compared with similar towns nearby, and speaks of “the large percentage of the total population of the Town enrolled in our public schools”.  We can infer that given these circumstances, social distancing would have been very difficult for schools.  According to the 1918 town report, “the school committee labored under extraordinary disadvantage through the limited amount of room that has been at its disposal.”  The Noah Torrey and Jonas Perkins schools were especially crowdeds, as were the Pond, Abraham Lincoln, and Hollis schools.

Braintree schools closed in September and were scheduled to stay closed until October 14, as recommended by the Local Board of Health.  Around the same time, a new principal, Mr James L. Jordan, was appointed at the high schools and “a new instructor named Miss Ruby Bray was assigned to the commercial department”; she used to teach in Holbrook.  The old 5^th and 6^th grade teacher at the Penniman School resigned and a new teacher was assigned in her place.  A new teacher was assigned for “departmental work” at the Noah Torrey School, who used to teach at the Abraham Lincoln School.  Her name was Isabel Brooks.  At least two teachers fell ill with influenza during the pandemic. .  One was Miss Isabel Carmichael of the Penniman School who was substituted with Miss Elizabeth Kneeland. Another was Miss Galligan of Abraham Lincoln who was substituted with Miss Beatrice Dalton.  The teachers had a meeting at Hollis School in which one of the topics discussed was the juvenile Red Cross.  This organization actually was one of the places were the Girl Scouts of Braintree would meet and volunteer; this volunteer work is mentioned under the subheading titled “Girl Scouts.”  There was also a teacher who left Braintree High School to teach in Lowell.

Mrs. E. W. Atkins, the school nurse who was considered one the heroes of the pandemic, made a statement reviewing her work, which was recorded in the town reports.  Her services were greatly appreciated by the town.