Dear Newton North Community,
This has been a very challenging week at North. As we enter the change of the quarter, it is clear that we have some students struggling to be civil and respectful to each other, some who are feeling exhausted, and some who are just trying their best to hold it all together. We know that this time has been a very difficult one for youth throughout the county as they feel the effects of an unprecedented and unpredictable year. Students at Newton North are no different.
I do want to share with you two very serious and concerning incidents that occurred this week in our school community. Please know that investigation of these incidents by the Newton Police and our school leadership teams is ongoing. Both incidents fall well outside the typical behavior we experience at North. I want to acknowledge both incidents and inform you of the steps that we are taking to respond and support our students.
Yesterday, there were two fights, one of which took place at school and one that occurred in Newtonville. Fights are very rare in our school community as we respond quickly to intervene when tempers flare. We are aware that in the incident in Newtonville, knives were also present. Weapons are explicitly forbidden in the Newton Public Schools, and there are serious consequences for anyone in violation of our rules. Per our school and district safety protocols, we are working with the Newton Police in addressing this situation. Additionally, we will continue with our safety measures in the building and work with our response team to discuss any necessary additional steps necessary to prevent further conflicts and ensure everyone’s safety.
We also discovered yesterday that a digital list with rumors about individual students was posted on social media and shared broadly among some parts of the student body. Currently, we are investigating further and supporting students and families who were named in these rumors and addressing the students who created the list.
It is clear that some of our students are struggling right now. As a school and a community, we will continue our work to keep our students safe and to eliminate inappropriate behavior either in person or online. Please remind students that violence is unacceptable and that social media misuse is extraordinarily hurtful and will not be tolerated. If your student needs support or has information to share, they should visit with their counselor or dean. While this has been a tough week, I remain hopeful that we can have a positive and productive spring.
Thank you
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For those of you who missed the FORJ event on Banned Books, here is the recording.
https://videos.bentley.edu/media/t/1_odx6b53q
I hope you all have a restful weekend.
Henry J. Turner, Ed.D
Principal
Newton North High School
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Hope we get more facts and closure on this incident (ie not buried and forgotten)
-Was the knife ‘planted’ on the student? The knife would have to have been brandished to be visible, so unlikely
– Was the student physically threatened such that they needed knife for protection? Arming yourself with an instrument of death is never the answer
-Was the student mentally unable to distinguish right from wrong? if so, NPS have failed their responsibility to identify mentally ill students who cannot function in society.
-Was the student from a broken home or disadvantaged upbringing? Some ppl may find this relevant, some may not.
We’re living in a world where a tweet or instagram post with hurtful words can get you kicked out of college or your job. Let’s see that punishment is applied to someone who ‘literally’ wants to kill your child
Bugek Your post is so out of touch I don’t know where to even begin with you.
Consider this. Not every topic that comes across your screen needs to be run through your filter for our benefit. Don’t you have some yard work to do?
What even is a broken home??
Btw, is the title of the post intentionally trying to downplay the students carrying knifes?
@Bugek – No. The post isn’t a description of the incident with the student and the knife. I have no specific knowledge about that.
This post is the text of the letter the Newton North principal just sent to the community about that incident as well as other incidents and issues.
Even though you are not a reporter by profession, a letter from the principal discussing an incident with knifes and a mob of student does not warrant a mention in the headline?
c’mon, we’re not stupid. If the letter was about students dressed in white hoods and nazi gear, the headline would NOT simply be “Letter from Newton North principal”. Lets be honest now.
Bugek, the title says letter from the Newton North Principal. The incident(s) have been discussed elsewhere on V14. No need for false equivalency.
Ted, the incident was discussed buried under a different thread. There is no headline about this serious incident. Ppl only read headlines
relax
@Buget – I find most of the questions you posit as being intrusive and on the ridiculous side. I suggest you read the police report for some of the details you want. Otherwise, most of the other information you want remains in the realm of subjectivity- cliched terms like “broken home” and “disadvantaged upbringing” are just two examples of the aforementioned. And FYI this is a blog not a news organization. Participants in the blog are not expected to be held to your understanding of journalistic standards. Your don’t like the headline then write your own.
You are correct, this is blog. Any expectation of non bias should not be expected or asked for.
My kid was talking about some list the other day and I brushed it aside guess that was a mistake. After talking to some parents last night this past week at NN was a culmination of a soft approach on structure, discipline, and expectations. We thought they were changing the narrative.
Then again with no defined attendance rule in place, an open campus for all grades, cell phones acceptable, and no consequences for doing wrong things will only get worse before they get better. Glad we are leaving come June. I anticipate after this letter gets to the Globe more will bolt as well.
I am glad that you are leaving, too.
Good luck.
“no defined attendance rule in place, an open campus for all grades, cell phones acceptable, and no consequences for doing wrong things”
“cell phones acceptable”
it’s 2022
@Jerry:
I hate this format…I am reading this blog post one literal letter at a time!
S
It has been a stressful few weeks for students at both high schools. And in the middle of this is the mayor, who is leaving NPS with no choice to cut staff. Many of our students have experienced tough lives in the last two years. They have had family members die or get really, really sick. Some students have experienced tough economic situations, which includes insufficient access to healthy foods. Some students have experienced depression due to being alone for a long time. Some students have experienced social anxiety returning to in person learning.
Our students need us to step up to the plate and help them. We can talk to our students at home about social expectations. We can ask our students what they need to help them succeed. We can talk to our school teachers and ask them what they need to help the students emerge from this pandemic successfully. This is hard work. There is no easy button.
Cell phones HELPED our students connect with each other, but cell phones also hindered in person interactions.
And the term “broken home” is not how I would refer to any home. While no home is perfect, we can support the children who are dealing with divorce, death, etc. Not label them. We need to embrace the students and SUPPORT them with therapy, etc.
The letter that the principal writes is about an incident that occurred with Newton North students, and one who came with a knife. I am hoping that student receives the help he/she NEEDS. Not being labeled from a broken home. And the “burn book” episode is deeply upsetting. One student (or a group of student) released deeply personal information about other students, or made it up. Both are deeply concerning. Our students need our support.
The Newton North Principal’s letter should have stated how many students were involved in the fights and if any students were injured or taken into custody. I am hoping that someone posts summaries of the police incident reports, as the Newton North Principal’s letter is very light on details. Student names should NOT be published.
The Principal’s letter does state that “a digital list with rumors about individual students was posted on social media and shared broadly among some parts of the student body.” In response to this digital list publication, NPS management (superintendent and all NPS principals) should strongly remind parents and students that there are laws against both libel and invasion of privacy – and that students can sue publishers of defamatory/untrue/personal information if they choose to do so. The victims of the digital list could also probably sue as a group, which would make the lawsuit cheaper for them.
Between these incidents at NNHS, and recent weekly emails from the principal at NSHS about anti-semitic and sexual harassment issues on campus, this is an issue that NPS must address forthrightly. The administration puts a lot of emphasis on and funding for social/emotional learning. This seems to be at the core of social and emotional learning and the system must adjust its priorities to focus on discriminatory and hurtful behavior. One element that has served to gaslight several of these issues is the use and the role of social media which increased during the pandemic. NPS needs to do more education around this area as well.
Not to let NPS off the hook, but parents play a large role here. Maybe our students are not as sophisticated or mature as we think they are and we need to pay more attention to what they are doing. As the parent of one of these students impacted by one of these very upsetting incidents, I believe these are learned behaviors from either their parents, peers, or social media influencers. We as parents are not devoid of culpability in all of this and need to accept responsibility for this behavior as well
I would love to know how many families sat down and discussed these issues. I know in my family we have met every time we received an EMAIL from school to discuss the incidents. How many families are sweeping this under the rug? I agree, discussion at home is important. I also wonder how many parents know how to talk about this with their teens.
Wow, this is both an interesting and sad read.
Covid or not, teens can make bad decisions. Behind closed doors, I’m sure we all have done dumb, immature things. With the current technology available and the pervasive culture of TikTok that makes 15 mins of fame easily attainable, is anyone surprised a burn book exists and was ultimately exposed?
Let’s not blame Covid for this, but instead call it that it is…poor judgement by kids. If NPS finds out who was involved, they should be suspended, as a measure of prevention but let’s not ruin anyone’s lives. Kids need rules and structure, but not a lifelong scarlet letter.
Look, while a knife was seen, it was not brandished and more importantly not used. No one was stabbed. It could have been much, much worse. These aren’t necessarily bad kids nor were their actions proven to be caused by Covid. Teens can do dumb sh*t and next time, it could be any one of our kids. Onward and upwards!
In the photo I saw, TWO knives were definitely brandished. Thankfully nobody got stabbed.
My kids do not go to NNHS so I am curious to hear from the parents, guardians, teachers, staff and students from that community about the NNHS principal’s approach to the job.
It’s unlikely the school or principal has any strategy to deter stuff like this. Any action is always re-active and not enough pro-active means to prevention. Probably the best and still effective way to deter stuff like this is to hold the students/parents responsible for their actions. I am sure a lot of folks here may think otherwise and throw darts on a dart board to see what may work. Accountability should be the main driver that parents ensure their kids are properly educated at home and at school.