School Committee: Attacks are having a ‘chilling effect’ on teachers, school atmosphere
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
UPDATES: Boston Globe 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’
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
And now onto the next election!
One year from this week, all 24 seats on the Newton City Council and all eight seats on the school committee will be open for election. Are you planning to run? Are there particular councilors or school committee members that you are especially interested in seeing in...NewTV and Ross Decter launch ‘School Matters’
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?
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
Boston Globe: Should cities abolish their school committees?
The Boston Globe, in its “The Argument” column in Globe Local, posed a question about abolishing school committees. Responding against the idea was Newton School Committee Chair Ruth Goldman. Read what Ruth and former mayor of Methuen Dennis A. DiZoglio...Jeffrey Pontiff: Preserve academic time when changing high-school start times
Jeffrey Pontiff’s column/editorial in today’s Newton TAB (“Importance of a healthy school start”—available on driveways but not yet online) urges Newton Public Schools to not shorten the school day when implementing later start times for high school. He says in part:...Talk show host: ‘We’ve got to drain the swamp in Newton”
Those were the words of WRKO radio talk show host Jeff Kuhner, who bills himself as “Liberalism’s Worst Nightmare,” speaking in front of Newton’s Ed Center last night, according to this report from the TAB’s Julie Cohen.
Cohen’s story doesn’t say if Kuhner is a Newton resident and she didn’t interview or
How do you sugarcoat hate speech? With actual sugar
Many of you probably received the same mailing I did promising “free hot cocoa, cookies & donuts” in exchange for you showing up to “protest bias & lies in the Newton School curriculum.” While not named in the mailing, the group behind...New council to elect new pres and VP this week
The incoming Newton City Council is scheduled to elect its new president and vice president this Thursday (Dec. 14) at City Hall. As noted earlier, Susan Albright, Cheryl Lappin and Marc Laredo have expressed interest in being president. According to Amy Sangiolo’s fabulous newsletter Vicki Danberg and Rick Lipof are running
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like