Schools

Creation of Position Focused on Racial Equity and Diversity Approved by School Committee

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The School Committee approved the creation of a new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position in the Watertown Public School administration on Monday night. The person will lead the district’s effort to ensure equity for students in the Watertown schools, but Superintendent Dede Galdston said he or she will not be the only one working on the issue. “It is about having somebody there in a full-time position that can keep us moving, hold us accountable, make sure the plans that we create — not that they create — are actualized,” Galdston said. “And really pinpoint and targeting the support that we need in terms of professional development, in terms of family engagement, in terms of hiring and recruitment and retainment (of staff members of color). They are going to be able to keep us going and keep us in the right direction.” 

School Committee members spoke in support of creating the new position.

Entertainment

Watch the Perkins School for the Blind Holiday Concert

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Perkins School for the Blind

Students at Perkins School for the Blind kept the tradition of the annual Holiday Concert going in 2020. This year they performed it virtually. Perkins sent out the following message, and video of the concert:

We want to wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season from the entire Perkins community. In that spirit, we’re excited to invite you to enjoy a video of this year’s virtual holiday concert! We had to do things a bit differently this year but music education at Perkins has continued and the students love it.

Schools

Minuteman Teacher Receives Award from National Group

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Minuteman High School design and visual communications teacher Allison Barry won an award from NOCTI. The following information was provided by Minuteman High School:

Allison Barry, a Design and Visual Communications teacher at Minuteman High School, is the winner of the 2020 Carl J. Schaefer Memorial CTE Teacher Award from NOCTI, the nation’s largest provider of industry partner certifications and industry-based credentials for career and technical education programs.

The award was established in 2013 to honor Dr. Carl J. Schaefer. As a lifelong champion in career and technical education (CTE), he gained national recognition as a CTE educator and author. He was also one of NOCTI’s founding fathers. This memorial award is a tribute to Dr. Schaefer’s memory and recognizes an outstanding CTE teacher or CTE teacher candidate.

Schools

School Officials Announce Efforts to Stop Racism, Bullying in Schools

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School officials said they heard the parents and community members loud and clear at a recent forum held in response to the report by a Watertown Middle School student the she had been racially harassed at school and online. This week, School administration and the School Committee announced some steps they would be taking to stop this from happening again. On Monday, Superintendent Dede Galdston acknowledged that the Watertown Public Schools have much work to do. “I think we share the same goals which include making the Watertown Schools the safest, most welcoming and most inclusive learning environment for all our students and families,” Galdston said. “They and you deserve nothing less.”

Government

Council Joins Effort to Prevent Racial Harassment in Watertown Schools & Beyond

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council will begin looking at ways to help the Watertown Public Schools address racial harassment and bullying following reports made a middle school student about her experiences at Watertown Middle School. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Council voted to start discussions about how they could help the Schools with racism issues. Also at the meeting, the Council adopted a proclamation opposing racism and bulling in Watertown. The School Administration and School Committee will take the lead on how to deal with racial harassment, said Town Council President Mark Sideris, who is also a member of the School Committee. Superintendent Dede Galdston announced she will be putting together a a citizens advisory board which will include parents of children who have been harassed, Sideris said.

Bullying

Residents Call for Action to Stop Racial Harassment in Watertown Schools During Forum

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The 150-plus people who attended Superintendent Dede Galdston’s forum on racial harassment and bullying last week heard from the girl who brought the issue to the forefront, and other attendees called for action to make sure such incidents do not occur in the future. Galdston scheduled the Dec. 3 forum after a Watertown Middle School student named Lialah spoke to Fox 25 News about her experience of being called the N-word at school and being harassed by classmates on social media and on the phone. Harassment Reports

The 13-year-old spoke during the forum, and said that she does not trust the teachers and administrators at the middle school after she reported her experiences and said no action was taken, and people at the school denied her reports. “Why are people spreading misinformation.

Schools

Watertown Schools to Conduct Outside Review of Bullying & Discipline Policies After Racially-Motivated Incident

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The Watertown Public Schools hired outside experts to review the district’s bullying and disciplinary policies following a student’s report of racially-motivated bullying. In November, a 13-year-old girl who attends Watertown Middle School reported being harassed online and by phone after putting up posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In another response to the incident, the Watertown schools will host a community forum to discuss racism and bullying in the Watertown Schools on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. The public can join the form, which is being held virtually on Zoom, by using this link: https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/94875621016

Superintendent Dede Galdston said the decision to have a review of how the district handles bullying, and specifically racially-motivated incidents, was made after hearing about the experience of Watertown Middle School student. “Recent events have given me significant pause, and while I do not believe the Watertown Public Schools is alone in responding to acts of hate and racism, it is simply not enough to say ‘we did our best’ or ‘we followed our usual policies,’ We must be willing to review our practices and procedures,” Galdston said.