Good Afternoon,

The Reading Public Schools is looking for budget liaisons for the upcoming FY20 budget process.  A description of the role of budget parents is below.  If you are interested in becoming a budget liaison, please contact Linda Engelson at linda.engelson@reading.k12.ma.us or at 781-944-5800.  The deadline to apply is Friday, November 16th.

Reading Public Schools

Budget Liaison Information

WHO                                       Community members or parents who have children in the Reading Public Schools may become a budget liaison.  We need two budget liaison per school, up to four from the community at large and two parents to represent the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).

RESPONSIBILITIES                  The budget liaison responsibilities are as follows:

• Participate in meetings with the Superintendent of Schools and Chief Financial Officer from November-February to learn about the school department budget and the budget process.
• Work with the Superintendent and the Director of Finance to review, critique and give input on the budget and the budget process.
• Understand how the budget process works and be able to explain the budget and the process to other members of the community.
• Act as a liaison between the school department and their child’s school or community by reporting back to other parents and community members both formally (PTO, School Council and SEPAC meetings) and informally.
• Attend School Committee meetings and other relevant meetings during the budget deliberations in January and February.

WHEN                                     Meetings will begin in mid-November.  The month of January is a busy month with weekly meetings.  February will have one meeting.

The following School Committee meetings in December, January and February are dedicated to the FY20 budget.  The Budget parents will meet prior to these meetings.

December 20^th (School Committee Pre-Budget Overview Presentation)

January 3, 7, 17, 24

February 27 (School Committee Budget Presentation to Finance Committee)

Please note that each budget parent does not have to attend every meeting. We would always like at least one representative from each school at each meeting.

(READING, MA)  — Once again, anti-Semitic graffiti was found at Reading Memorial High School. A student discovered the vandalism on Friday afternoon and reported it to school officials Monday. This most recent act of vandalism, as it was discovered on Friday, marks the sixth time in less than a month that graffiti was found at Reading Memorial High School.

Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Deputy Police Chief David Clark and School Superintendent Dr. John Doherty continue to work together to condemn these acts and resolve them. Parents, students, and residents in general are reminded that these acts of vandalism are criminal in nature and the Police Department is working vigorously to identify the perpetrator(s).

“Every student has a right to feel safe in school. Every parent and guardian has a right to feel safe sending their children to school,” said Deputy Clark. “We will not allow anyone to erode the inclusive nature of this community or diminish the values and freedom that we protect and defend every single day.”

“Reading’s response to these hate-filled acts has been to raise our collective voices in celebration of diversity, to come together as a community and say with one voice that everyone is welcome here, no matter your religion, your race, or who you love,” said LeLacheur.

“Hate is the antithesis of everything community is about. While everyone has a right to their opinion, nobody has the right to make people, particularly children, feel unsafe. I’m proud that Reading fights ignorance with education and acceptance of all people,” Doherty added.

These acts have led town leaders, residents, and stakeholders to work together in the creation of Reading Embraces Diversity (RED), offer and attend interfaith conversations across multiple communities, a rally on the Common against anti-Semitism, and most recently, a candlelight vigil in front of the Reading Memorial High School.

The Reading Police Department encourages anyone with any information to report it to the police non-emergency line, either by calling 781-944-1212 or reporting it anonymously through the Text-a-Tip service or the Town website, detailed below.

More information on reporting an anonymous tip to Reading Police:

• Text a Tip by texting the keyword READINGPD and a message to 847411 (tip411).
• The Town website (READINGMA.gov) has more information about anonymous tips, including an anonymous reporting form, through this link: Reading Police Anonymous Tips

Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Community,

I am saddened and disheartened to share with you that we have had another reported swastika graffiti incident at RMHS.  This incident, which was found by a student on Friday and reported yesterday to the High School Administration, was located in one of the stairwells of the school.  This is unfortunately the sixth incident of hate graffiti since October 12th.  Below is a letter from RMHS Principal Kate Boynton about the incident.

The candlelight vigil on Saturday was a unifying event that defined us as a community.  We need to continue to move forward and denounce this latest incident of hate.  This is not acceptable behavior and cannot be tolerated.  We will continue to work with police to investigate each situation and take action.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

November 6, 2018

Dear RMHS Families and Staff,

I am writing to the RMHS Community today to inform you of another graffiti incident that has occurred at Reading Memorial High School.  Monday afternoon, a student reported to administration that they found a swastika drawn in a stairwell.  The student indicated they saw the swastika on Friday afternoon, but did not report it to administration on that day.  It is important to note that the student came to administration Monday afternoon as a result of the message communicated at the vigil.  I immediately informed the superintendent and Reading Police and we implemented our incident response protocol.  We are treating this, and the other incidents of hate speech, which have occurred at RMHS this year, with the utmost importance and urgency.

These acts are not who we are or what we stand for as a school and they are not who we are as the greater Reading community as evidenced by the strong turn out at the vigil and the powerful messages of personal strength, respect and acceptance. In a society that has turned increasingly divisive and polarized, it is crucial that we emphasize kindness, empathy, and respect for difference and continually speak out with a unified voice against hate. I am angry and upset by the rash of hateful and threatening graffiti here at RMHS.   We have a moral obligation to expose these hateful acts, as difficult and upsetting as it is, in order to eliminate them.  Ignoring or trying to cover up the incidents is not an option.

As I have mentioned in previous letters, we are taking comprehensive actions as a school community to respond to these incidents of hate speech not only in the moment but also looking long term.

As a school community, we will hold the first school wide “town meeting” style courageous conversation tomorrow during Flex block.  I invite all interested staff and students to attend.  Parents and guardians, please encourage your child to attend. The goals of the conversation will be sharing our stories, breaking down barriers and creating a stronger school community based on mutual respect.

We will be sponsoring whole school book-reads around topics of race, class, religion, culture, and diversity to help extend and ground our conversations in literature and current research.  Our English department has volunteered to take the lead and we hope to partner with local bookstores and the Reading Public Library. We will be offering professional development to all staff to equip them with better skills to have courageous conversations with their students on a more regular basis, and we are committed to an internal audit of our curriculum to find areas where we are missing opportunities to engage students in meaningful conversation and learning about these important topics.  I believe partnering with the parent community is essential to help stem this tide of hateful acts and I would like to offer several evening events for parents and guardians around issues of race, class religion, and diversity.  I will share more about these events as they are planned. Finally, we have created an equity and diversity committee here at RMHS.

We seek to find those responsible for these acts and we must continue to educate our entire community if we hope to prevent these acts from reoccurring. To this end, I urge any student or staff member with information about who might have committed this or any of these heinous acts to come forward and speak to administration.  To the individual(s) responsible, I implore to do the right thing and take responsibility for your actions and come forward.  The time is now to be Upstanders and speak out against hate.

We will continue to work closely with the Reading Police Department, the Superintendent and the Town of Reading to address this and any future issues.  If you have any questions, concerns or information about this incident, please do not hesitate to contact me.   Additionally, see the information below to text an anonymous tip to the Reading Police Department.

You can provide an anonymous tip to the Reading Police Department by texting the keyword READINGPD and a message to 847411 (tip411)

Sincerely,

Kathleen M. Boynton

Principal, RMHS

Good Morning, Reading Public School Community,

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend.  Attached, is this week’s Pathways Newsletter.  This week’s edition has the following information and articles:

• Reading Memorial High School to hold Candlelight Vigil on November 3^rd at 6:00 p.m.
• Reading METCO Director Jason Cross Issues a Letter Regarding Hate Graffiti
• Parker Principal Richele Shankland Speaks at Anti-Defamation League Event
• Coolidge and Parker Students participate in Grade 8 Challenge Day
• An article by Dan Rather on “My Love for Public Schools.”
• Upcoming Youth Mental Health First Aid Courses
• An Edutopia article on a Proactive Approach to Discipline
• Birch Meadow Special Education Team Presents to Staff
• Joshua Eaton Veteran’s Day Assembly
• RISE Students and Staff Celebrate Halloween
• Halloween Events
• Stepping Stones
• Blazing Trails

The Superintendent Office Hours for this week are as follows:

11/5  Coolidge  7:15 – 8:15 a.m.

11/6   Barrows  7:45 – 8:45 a.m.

Have a great rest of the weekend and week ahead.

Take care.

Pathways Newsletter V6N10

Greeting All,

I am deeply saddened to have to reach out to you under these circumstances. However, I do feel that it is my responsibility as both the METCO Director and father of 2 Reading Public School students to take a moment to address the recent racist graffiti that use hateful and threatening language towards African Americans. The graffiti was discovered in the boy’s bathroom of the music wing at Reading Memorial High School. It was reported to the Principal, Mrs. Kathleen Boynton, Superintendent, Dr. John Doherty and the Reading Police department.

As a response to this incident, I will be working alongside RMHS Administration to find ways to show that this message of hate does not in any way represent the values promoted in Reading Public Schools. Our consensus belief is that the perpetrator exists amongst the minority mindset and is seeking to capitalize on the current racial tension in our society. We believe that the majority mindset of students and staff at RMHS is one of value for all, no matter the color of their skin.

We want you to know that creating a safe and welcoming environment for all students who attend Reading Public Schools is our top priority.

Please remind your student that if they need to take a moment to express how this incident has impacted them, myself and the admin team are ready to listen, support and provide reassurance as best we can. I would also encourage us as parents of African American students, to take some time to simply remind our children of who they are and their great worth and value.

Lastly, I encourage you to attend the Community Candlelight Vigil which will be held this Saturday, November 3^rd, at 6:00 p.m. at the front entrance Reading Memorial High School “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate and bigotry”.

Sincerely,

Jason Cross

METCO Director

781-670-2853

781-439-4715

Jason.cross@reading.k12.ma.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                      CONTACT:

November 1, 2018                                                                          Matt Kraunelis

781-942-6611

(READING, MA) — Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Deputy Police Chief David Clark and School Superintendent Dr. John Doherty jointly condemn the further acts of vandalism amounting to racist hate speech found at Reading Memorial High School this week. Deputy Clark again emphasizes the seriousness with which the Reading Police Department is treating the issue.

“As I have stated previously, we take incidents like these extremely seriously, and our top priority is ensuring the community’s safety,” said Deputy Clark. “Our officers are actively investigating these crimes, and we intend to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. The whole department is committed to this investigation.”

On Wednesday, a teacher reported to administration that a student found racist graffiti written in pencil on a bathroom wall.  Thursday morning a staff member found similar graffiti also written in pencil on a stairwell railing.  According to the school department, following the graffiti from Monday, police and administration did a thorough sweep of all the bathrooms. Preliminary investigation indicates both incidents occurred between Monday night and Tuesday night. Both the Town and School Department are treating this, and the other incidents of hate speech, which have occurred at RMHS this year, with the utmost importance and urgency.

On Saturday, November 3^rd from 6-7pm, the School Department and Town invite the Reading community to join together outside the front entrance of RMHS for an evening candlelight vigil “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate, racism and bigotry.” All are welcome to attend.

Also, the School Department will hold the first school wide “town meeting” style courageous conversation next Wednesday during the school day.  All interested staff and students are encouraged to attend.  The goals of the conversation will be sharing stories, breaking down barriers and creating a stronger school community based on mutual respect.

The Reading Police Department encourages anyone with any information to report it to the police non-emergency line, either by calling 781-944-1212 or reporting it anonymously through the Text-a-Tip service or the Town website, detailed below.

More information on reporting an anonymous tip to Reading Police:

• Text a Tip by texting the keyword READINGPD and a message to 847411 (tip411).
• The Town website (READINGMA.gov) has more information about anonymous tips, including an anonymous reporting form, through this link: Reading Police Anonymous Tips

# # #

Good Afternoon, Reading Community,

For the second day in a row, I am saddened and disheartened to share with you that we have had two more incidents of hateful speech at Reading Memorial High School, this time targeting our students of color.  Below is a letter from RMHS Principal Kate Boynton to the RMHS Community describing the latest incidents.

In my 31 years as an educator in the Reading Public Schools, I have never been more upset, angry and distraught as I am right now.  These events are troubling and they cannot or will not define us as a community.  Over the last two weeks, we have had five incidents of hateful speech that have denigrated our Jewish Community, our LGBTQ Community, and students of color.  Our police, Town Officials, and School Administrators continue to investigate each situation aggressively, but continue to be frustrated by a lack of progress in finding out who did it and why they did it.  Our teachers and administrators continue to work diligently to educate our students across all levels through our school core value programs, classes, and other educational opportunities about respect for each other’s differences and valuing those differences.  Ms. Boynton’s letter below describes some of the upcoming events at RMHS.  Change is happening, but it is slow and we all want these incidents to stop now.

How we respond to these events define us as a community, not the events themselves.  Whether or not we are the targeted group, these events impact each and every one of us.  All of us, including parents, administrators, staff, students, and the greater Reading Community, need to come together and recognize that these acts of hate speech are real and need to be addressed by all of us working together.  To that end, we invite you to attend the Candlelight Vigil that will be held this Saturday, November 4th, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Memorial Wall entrance of Reading Memorial High School.

Sincerely,

John F. Doherty, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

November 1, 2018

Dear RMHS Families and Staff,

I am writing to the RMHS Community this morning to inform you of more incidents of hate speech that have occurred at Reading Memorial High School.  Yesterday, a teacher reported to administration that a student found graffiti written on a bathroom wall.  This graffiti said, “Fuck the Niggers Bitch”.  This morning a staff member found similar graffiti also written in a stairwell, which read “Fuck Niggers”.  Following the graffiti from Monday, police and administration did a thorough sweep of all the bathrooms so we know the time stamp on the bathroom graffiti to be sometime between Monday night and Tuesday night.  The graffiti in the stairwell, given its similar nature is likely from the same time frame.  I immediately communicated with the superintendent and Reading Police and we implemented our incident response protocol.  We are treating this, and the other incidents of hate speech, which have occurred at RMHS this year, with the utmost importance and urgency.

These acts are not who we are or what we stand for as a school and they are not who we are as the greater Reading community.  And yet, they continue to occur with alarming frequency and with this new incident, broadening scope and increasing threats of violence. In a society that has turned increasingly divisive and polarized, it is crucial that we emphasize kindness, empathy, and respect for difference and continually speak out with a unified voice against hate. I am angry and upset by the rash of hateful and threatening graffiti here at RMHS.   We have a moral obligation to expose these hateful acts, as difficult and upsetting as it is, in order to eliminate them.  Ignoring or trying to cover up the incidents is not an option.

On Saturday, November 3^rd from 6-7pm, I invite the Reading community to join us outside the front entrance of RMHS for an evening candlelight vigil “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate, racism and bigotry” – all are welcome to attend. I will send out a flyer about the event, and will also post it on the RMHS website.  As a school community, we will hold the first school wide “town meeting” style courageous conversation next Wednesday during Flex block.  I invite all interested staff and students to attend.  Parents and guardians, please encourage your child to attend. The goals of the conversation will be sharing our stories, breaking down barriers and creating a stronger school community based on mutual respect.

As mentioned in my last letter, we are looking to sponsor whole school book-reads around topics of race, class, religion, culture, and diversity to help extend and ground our conversations in literature and current research.  Our English department has volunteered to take the lead and we hope to partner with local bookstores. We will be offering professional development to all staff to equip them with better skills to have courageous conversations with their students on a more regular basis, and we are committed to an internal audit of our curriculum to find areas where we are missing opportunities to engage students in meaningful conversation and learning about these important topics.  I believe partnering with the parent community is essential to help stem this tide of hateful acts and I would like to offer several evening events for parents and guardians around issues of race, class religion, and diversity.  I will share more about these events as they are planned. Finally, I am proposing the formation of an equity and diversity committee here at RMHS.

We seek to find those responsible for these acts and we must continue to educate our entire community if we hope to prevent these acts from reoccurring. To this end, I urge any student or staff member with information about who might have committed this or any of these heinous acts to come forward and speak to administration.  To the individual(s) responsible, I implore to do the right thing and take responsibility for your actions and come forward.  The time is now to be Upstanders and speak out against hate.

We will continue to work closely with the Reading Police Department, the Superintendent and the Town of Reading to address this and any future issues.  If you have any questions, concerns or information about this incident, please do not hesitate to contact me.   Additionally, see the information below to text an anonymous tip to the Reading Police Department.

You can provide an anonymous tip to the Reading Police Department by texting the keyword READINGPD and a message to 847411 (tip411)

Sincerely,

Kathleen M. Boynton

Principal, RMHS

Good Morning, Reading Public School Community,

It is with great disappointment and sadness that I share with you that another incident of hate speech, the third this year, was found on Monday morning in a bathroom at Reading Memorial High School.  This senseless and threatening graffiti targeted our LGBTQ community with the phrase “Kill the Faggotts”.  Below is the letter that was sent by RMHS Principal Kate Boynton to the RMHS Community regarding this latest incident.

I echo what Town Manager Bob LeLacheur said in his statement yesterday that these acts of hate need to simply “stop.”  We are in a time of great unrest in our country where different groups are being targeted.  The tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg this weekend where 11 members of the Jewish Community were killed is only the latest example of these targeted acts.  Unfortunately, our schools and community have also been impacted with recurring hate speech and swastikas.  It is how we respond to these events that define us, not the events themselves. All of us, including parents, administrators, staff, students, and the greater Reading Community, need to come together and recognize that these acts of hate speech are real and need to be addressed by all of us working together.

As Superintendent of Schools, I will continue to work collaboratively with our school administrators, teachers, staff, parents, students, town officials, community leaders and Police to strengthen our culture of inclusiveness, remove divisiveness, and create a safe and supportive community for our staff and students.  We want every student and staff member to feel that they can come to school every day and be part of a positive learning culture.

I encourage you to attend the Community Candlelight Vigil which will be held this Saturday, November 3^rd, at 6:00 p.m. at the front entrance Reading Memorial High School “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate and bigotry”.  It is events like this and the rally that was held on the Town Common on October 20^th, which will unify our community and send a message that hate does not have a home here in Reading.

John Doherty

Superintendent

Reading Public Schools

October 30, 2018

Dear RMHS Families and Staff,

I am writing to the RMHS Community this morning to inform you of yet another incident of hate speech that occurred at RMHS yesterday morning, this time targeting and threatening the LGBTQ+ community. Yesterday morning, a student reported to a teacher that there was graffiti located in a stall in a bathroom at RMHS. The graffiti read “Kill The Faggots”. Based on information from staff members, we are certain this graffiti was created yesterday, during a very short window of time. Administration is working with staff to identify possible persons of interest and we are also working in close conjunction with the Reading Police Department, as this is an active investigation. We are treating this, and the other incidents of hate speech, which have occurred at RMHS this year, with the utmost importance and urgency.

These acts are not who we are or what we stand for as a school and they are not who we are as the greater Reading community. And yet, they continue to occur with alarming frequency and with this new incident, broadening scope and increasing threats of violence. In a society that has turned increasingly divisive and polarized, it is crucial that we emphasize kindness, empathy, and respect for difference and continually speak out with a unified voice against hate.

Yesterday, I met with the RMHS leadership team, our counseling and social work staff, and the student group A World of Difference to strategize and plan a unified and sustained response to these acts of hate. In addition, I held a voluntary staff meeting at the end of the school day. We have a range of short and long-term actions planned, which are outlined below. This morning, AWOD created a public display decrying hate speech and they sent out personal messages of kindness that were placed on every student’s locker. RMHS will hold an evening candlelight vigil on Saturday, November 3rd from 6-7pm outside the front entrance of RMHS “in support of human rights, in celebration of diversity and in opposition to hate and bigotry” that will be open to students, staff, parents and the greater Reading community – all are welcome to attend.

Additional details about the vigil will be forthcoming. As a school community, we plan to hold several school wide “town meeting” style courageous conversations over the next few months with students and staff with the intent of sharing our stories, breaking down barriers and creating a stronger school community based on mutual respect. We are looking into sponsoring whole school book-reads around topics of race, class, religion, culture, and diversity to help extend and ground our conversations in literature and current research. We are looking at providing professional development to all staff to equip them with better skills to have courageous conversations with their students on a more regular basis, and we are committed to an internal audit of our curriculum to find areas where we are missing opportunities to engage students in meaningful conversation and learning about these important topics.

We seek to find those responsible for these acts and we must continue to educate our entire community if we hope to prevent these acts from reoccurring. To this end, I urge any student or staff member with information about who might have committed this or any of these heinous acts to come forward and speak to administration. To the individual(s) responsible, I implore to do the right thing and take responsibility for your actions and come forward. The time is now to be Upstanders.

We will continue to work closely with the Reading Police Department, the Superintendent and the Town of Reading to address this and any future issues. If you have any questions, concerns or information about this incident, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Kathleen M. Boynton

Principal, RMHS

Good Afternoon, Reading Public School Community

We are disheartened and disappointed to report that another swastika was found in a classroom on Friday afternoon at Reading Memorial High School.  Below and attached is a letter that was sent by Reading Memorial High School Principal Kate Boynton to the High School Community regarding the incident.  As we have communicated previously and will continue to communicate, this type of behavior is not acceptable in our school community and we will continue to do our diligence as a school district to investigate these incidents, take action when necessary, and educate our students on the meaning of these hateful symbols.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Reading Public Schools administration offices at 781-944-5800.

​

Dear RMHS Families and Staff,

I am profoundly dismayed that I must report a second incident of a swastika discovered in a classroom at RMHS.  Yesterday afternoon, a staff member reported to administration that a student found a swastika lightly etched on a desk in a classroom.  The graffiti was difficult to see except at a certain angle and lighting.  There was no threat written as part of the graffiti.  Administration documented the image and the incident response protocol was initiated:  The Superintendent, Reading Police and Facilities Department were all notified.  The image was removed and a thorough sweep of all furniture in that classroom was conducted. No additional images were found.  Facilities conducted a sweep of the building following the last incident, however, they were specifically looking for graffiti drawn in pen, pencil or marker.  Following this second incident, RMHS administration will lead a systematic and thorough sweep of the entire building over the next few weeks to ensure, to the best of our ability, no additional graffiti of this nature is present at RMHS. While this is an ongoing investigation, we are uncertain when the image was created because the graffiti was difficult to see except at a certain angle and lighting conditions.

Unfortunately, we continue to have these graffiti related incidents in our schools and in our community.  The swastika symbolizes hate and anti-Semitism and there is no place for these types of hateful actions or behaviors in our schools or in the greater Reading community.   The actions of one person cannot be allowed to overshadow the tremendous kindness, respect, empathy and acceptance our students, staff and greater RMHS community embody every day inside and outside of the classroom.

Over the past few years, RMHS staff has focused our efforts on making our core values of Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance and Scholarship come to life as we continue to build a community that embraces diversity.  Last year, Dr. Anna Ornstein, a holocaust survivor spoke with students at an assembly hosted by our student club A World of Difference, which is sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League.  We also had students and staff trained as upstanders and RMHS hosted the Unity Project, a very powerful interactive public art project about embracing difference.  This year, we began the year with Community Day, which was an entire day devoted to our core values and to building a positive RMHS community.  We have further training planned this year for our A World of Difference Club along with several other student leadership organizations such as our Peer Leaders, Rocket Ambassadors and Student Council.  Furthermore, just last weekend, Reading residents came together at a rally to speak out against hate and anti-Semitism, which makes the discovery of the graffitti yesterday all the more troubling.  In a society that has turned increasingly divisive and polarized, it is crucial that we emphasize kindness, empathy, and respect for difference and continually speak out with a unified voice against hate.

We seek to find those responsible for these acts and we must continue to educate our entire community if we hope to prevent these acts from reoccurring.

On Monday, we will notify students of the incident, and will ask them for any information that might guide us in a direction towards identifying the person(s) responsible for the graffiti.  We will continue to use situations like these as teachable moments to help students understand the impact of these hateful acts and to reinforce our core values of respect and responsibility along with kindness, empathy and acceptance.

We will continue to work closely with the Reading Police Department, the Superintendent and the Town of Reading to address this and any future issues.  If you have any questions, concerns or information about this incident, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Kathleen M. Boynton

Kathleen M. Boynton

Principal, RMHS

2nd Swastika Letter to Families and Staff 10.27.18