School Committee: Attacks are having a ‘chilling effect’ on teachers, school atmosphere

by | Nov 30, 2018 | School Committee, Schools | 1 comment

A statement released today from the Newton School Committee ….

Dear Newton Families,

As a result of a formal petition alleging anti-Semitism in the Newton Public School history curriculum, the School Committee was required to hold a public hearing on the petitioners’ requests. On Tuesday evening, approximately 400 students, faculty, staff, and community members attended the public hearing at Newton South.

We fully recognize that anti-Semitism, as well as bigotry and outright hate and intolerance against Muslim, Immigrant, Black and Brown and, LGBTQ members has become more pronounced in this country in the past few years. It is deeply distressing and we should all be working together to address it. However, we categorically rejected that Newton Public Schools’ curriculum is anti-Semitic or that there is an anti-Semitic bias inherent in our schools.

At the hearing, students, parents, teachers and other community members overwhelmingly

Overwhelming support for schools & teachers on view at public hearing

by | Nov 27, 2018 | Newton, Newton North, Newton South, School Committee | 9 comments

UPDATES: Boston Globe story here.

WCVB Channel 5 story here.

NBC 10 story here

NECN  story here.

Students, alumni, teachers, parents, clergy, city councilors and many others testified in opposition to citizen’s petition  promoted by Americans for Peace and Tolerance, a group that has long-complained of an anti-Israeli bias in the Newton Public Schools, at a packed public hearing at Newton South High School

Over 400 Newton North grads sign letter supporting ‘our teachers and our school system’

by | Nov 26, 2018 | Newton North, Newton South, School Committee | 11 comments

In advance of a public hearing Tuesday night (Nov. 27, 6:30 p.m. at Newton South) more than 300 recent Newton North High School graduates have signed a letter in support of “our teachers and our school system in their mission to craft a curriculum that promotes critical thinking.”

The alumni wrote the letter in response to an on-going campaign by “Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT), a group whose members have been targeting our school system for years and have recently begun targeting individual teachers” over discredited claims of an anti-Israel bias in Newton Public Schools.

Tuesday’s hearing is the result of a citizens petition and is expected to draw

NewTV and Ross Decter launch ‘School Matters’

by | Nov 1, 2018 | NewTV, School Committee, Schools | 4 comments

Former Newton School Committee member Margie Ross Decter has just launched a new series on NewTV called “School Matters,” a program that aims to raise “awareness of educational issues of local and national importance, and the efforts of students and the school community to make an impact by improving our community and the world around us.”

Here’s the premiere episode

School Matters: Student Activism from NewTV on Vimeo.

 

School Matters airs Monday-Friday at 5:30pm, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30pm on NewTV’s Education Channel (Comcast 99, RCN 3, 582 (HD), Verizon 32).

 

Should Newton’s elected officials get a raise? Do you want to be part of the decision process?

by | Oct 15, 2018 | City Council, City Hall, Mayor's office, Newton, School Committee | 15 comments

City Council President Marc Laredo is looking for individuals interested in serving on a Blue Ribbon Commission examine the compensation of Newton’s elected officials.

By way of background, our Mayor receives a salary of $125,000 a year for her full-time service (the Mayor is barred by our city charter from having other employment while serving as Mayor) our City Council members each receive a salary (also referred to as a stipend) of $9,750 a year; and elect