Police/Fire

School Committee Statement: Supports Anti-Racist Work & Watertown Police

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The following piece was provided by the Watertown School Committee:

The Watertown School Committee is committed to becoming an anti-racist school system by acknowledging the structural and institutional racism that is pervasive throughout this nation and its many institutions, and also consistently working to present that reality and incorporate those lessons into the Watertown Public Schools’ curriculum. We also support the Watertown Police Department and acknowledge their work with our schools to create transparent and safe community relations between the Police Department and the WPS. These two statements are not at odds with one another, despite the growing public divide: We can both support the important work of the Watertown Police Department and condemn long standing institutional and systemic racism. Recently our community has been challenged and hurt by an incident at Watertown Middle School involving a video played to a group of students. Instead of fostering open discussion in the classroom, this video sparked divisions in our community, particularly around policing and, by extension, the Watertown Police Department.

Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Group’s Letter to Superintendent, Supports Middle School Teacher

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An Open Letter to the Superintendent of Watertown Public Schools, Dr. Galdston,

We are writing to express our strong support for a Watertown Middle School teacher who is under attack. She is a courageous and principled teacher who has sought to constructively challenge herself, her community, her colleagues, and her students to face the realities of race in America. She has done this in part by becoming an advanced Kingian practitioner. Many like to quote the more comfortable sections of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, but King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is often a more relevant touchstone. It is a challenging call to courageous action, and we believe that this teacher epitomizes its spirit.

Around Town

LETTER: Resident Supports Teacher, Cites Work Spreading MLK’s Nonviolence Principles

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To the Editor:

I am deeply distressed to see that the anti-racist work of Ruth Henry, Watertown Middle School teacher, has become the object of so much criticism, misinterpretation, and misunderstanding. For so many of us, Ruth has been a community icon and mentor, representing the highest standards of respect, clarity, and courage in her teachings and activist practices. Ruth’s commitment to anti-racist, anti-oppression work goes back many years. I became better acquainted with her passion for social justice when we worked together on the World in Watertown committee that planned and facilitated Dr. Bernard Lafayette’s visit to Watertown in 2016. Dr. Lafayette, one of our country’s foremost civil rights leaders, came to our community because of his close relationship with Ruth.

COVID-19

See When Watertown Elementary Students Will be Returning to School Full-Time

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Elementary school students in Watertown will return to school five days a week beginning April 5, and middle and high schoolers will follow at dates to be determined, Superintendent Dede Galdston announced Tuesday. The State Eduction Board voted to give Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Riley the authority to reopen schools for in-person learning on March 5. Galdston said plans for Watertown Middle School and Watertown High School students will be “determined in the coming days.” According to the state’s guidance, middle schools are supposed to return by April 28. No date was given for high schools, but the state will give districts notice of the return date at least two weeks ahead.

Police/Fire

Middle School Video: Statements from Teacher, School Officials & Police Union

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Watertown Middle School

The showing of a video to a group of Watertown Middle School students caused an uproar in Town. The video is being called anti-police and misleading, with some calling for the teacher who showed it to be disciplined or fired. The video, which was created by MTV, was not sanctioned by Watertown School officials before it was shown during Community Meeting at WMS in February. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that she cannot share details of a personnel matter, that the Watertown Public School officials are looking into the incident. “While personnel matters cannot be shared publicly, please know that District leadership will address this incident directly in a way that is consistent with School Committee policies and procedures,” Galdston wrote in a statement released Saturday.

Letters

LETTER: Resident Calls for Stronger Response to Showing of Anti-Police Video at Middle School

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Dear Dr. Galdston,

Let me preface my comments by expressing my admiration for the vast majority of wonderful teachers that have answered a “calling” to educate children, especially those in the Watertown Public Schools. As I noted, being a teacher is far more than a job, it’s a vocation and calling. My older sister was foreign language teacher and reading specialist, before she retired. I personally saw all the hours she put into the lesson planning and correcting papers. People don’t see all the work teachers do. Nor do they see that they often buy supplies with their own money. But the most important thing many folks don’t see or understand is the emotional commitment teachers make to their students. Having said that; I must express my dismay at your weak response to the situation at the Middle School. In your statement you rightly noted that the video shown to the students was Anti-Law Enforcement.

Schools

2 Grades at Minuteman High School Return to In-Person Learning

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Minuteman High School sophomores Olivia O’Neill and Annie Bronson work on a carpentry project on March 1, 2021. The following information was provided by Minuteman High School:

March 2021

Dear Minuteman High School Community,

We’re beginning the month on an exciting note: We’ve safely brought back more students for daily in-person learning and we’ve begun the acceptance process for next year’s ninth graders. It was a great feeling to welcome more students back into our new building on March 1, when we increased to two grades of students receiving in-person instruction. Safety and science have been at the forefront of our planning, and the commitment of students and staff to wear masks and follow safety precautions is allowing students to learn in a safe and healthy environment. There is no replacement for in-person learning, which is critical for growing academic, career technical education (CTE), and social-emotional skills – along with fostering a sense of normalcy.

Police/Fire

Superintendent Responds to Anti-Police Video Shown at Middle School

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Watertown Middle School

Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston sent a letter on Saturday about the showing of a video with an anti-police bias to a class at Watertown Middle School in February. The video came to light last week on the Turtle Boy website. Follow Watertown News this week for more coverage. The following is the text of Galdston’s letter:

Good evening, WPS Parents, Guardians, Faculty, and Staff:

I recently became aware of an incident that occurred in a Watertown Middle School Community Meeting in which students were shown a video with a strong anti-police sentiment. The video, along with the follow-up discussion, did damage to our school and community, was hurtful to students and families; for that, we are deeply sorry.