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Schools
School Staffers In Region Accused Of Failing To Report Abuse School Staffers In Region Accused Of Failing To Report Abuse
School Staffers In Region Accused Of Failing To Report Abuse Employees of a Connecticut school have been arrested on charges of failure to report abuse by a teacher. The incident, which included the arrest of the alleged abuser in January, took place in Litchfield County at the Plymouth Center School in Plymouth. Sherri Turner, age 59, of Farmington, was arrested on Tuesday, Aug. 23, and Melissa Morelli, age 45, of Plymouth, was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 24.  Both were charged with failure to report abuse, neglect, or injury of a child or imminent risk of serious harm to a child, according to the Plymouth Police Department.  Plymouth Pu…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Massachusetts Charter School Sends Student Home For Wearing Hijab On First Day Massachusetts Charter School Sends Student Home For Wearing Hijab On First Day
Massachusetts Charter School Sends Student Home For Wearing Hijab On First Day Thursday, Aug. 18 was the first day of school at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden and a student already received a citation saying she violated the school's dress code. However, the citation regarded the student's religious attire.  The student was called down to the office for apparently wearing a hijab: a traditional head covering worn among Muslim women when they become of age.  The student was then sent home for not complying with the school's required uniform, according to a Facebook post from one of the student's older siblings. This apparently was not the first time s…

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by David Cifarelli
Schools
Boston Teacher Who Was Gang Member, Tried To Kill Student Must Pay $10M: Report Boston Teacher Who Was Gang Member, Tried To Kill Student Must Pay $10M: Report
Boston Teacher Who Was Gang Member, Tried To Kill Student Must Pay $10M: Report A former Boston high school teacher who moonlighted as a street gang member must pay $10 million to the former student he recruited to sell drugs and then tried to assassinate, a court ruled recently.  Shaun O. Harrison, formerly of Dorchester, is serving a 26-year prison sentence after a court convicted him in 2018 of assault with intent to murder and a slew of other crimes, the Associated Press said. On Friday, a judge ruled the former Dean of Students at English High School should pay his victim $7.5 million for pain and suffering, $2.5 million for punitive damages, and $80,000 in me…

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
These Massachusetts Colleges Rank Among Nation's 50 Most Expensive These Massachusetts Colleges Rank Among Nation's 50 Most Expensive
These Massachusetts Colleges Rank Among Nation's 50 Most Expensive Five Massachusetts colleges are among the most expensive four-year institutions in the United States, according to a report from CBS News. On March 10, the news outlet shared a ranking of the 50 most expensive colleges in the country based on information from The National Center for Education Statistics. The following Massachusetts colleges made the list: Amherst College, Amherst, ranked 3rd Tufts University, Medford, 5th Wellesley College, Wellesley, 10th Boston College, Chestnut Hill, 21st Boston University, Boston, 34th Read the full report from CBS News here.

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by Nicole Valinote
Schools
'An Incredible Honor': Teacher From Region Wins National Award 'An Incredible Honor': Teacher From Region Wins National Award
'An Incredible Honor': Teacher From Region Wins National Award A Connecticut high school teacher is being recognized for her “outstanding and innovative” work in the classroom. High Road School of Hartford teacher Rachael Chatel was named as the first Teacher of the Year by Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI). The private school works with special education students ages 15 to 21 facing social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that can impede success in a traditional classroom setting. Nationwide, SESI works with more than 7,000 students in over 600 school districts. Chatel won the top honor for going “above and beyond for her students a…

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by Michael Mashburn
Schools
Possible Middle School Threat Under Investigation In Western Mass Possible Middle School Threat Under Investigation In Western Mass
Possible Middle School Threat Under Investigation In Western Mass Extra police officers were stationed at a Western Massachusetts middle school on Friday, May 27, after a threat was made via social media. The threat was uncovered in Hampden County late Thursday, May 26, and targeted West Springfield Middle School. According to police, on Thursday, the West Springfield Police Department received information from a neighboring police department concerning a threat made on social media.  The threat made towards the West Springfield Middle School was captured on Snapchat, via screenshot, the police department said. After receiving the information, the …

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
School Fatal Stabbing Suspect Attends In New England Says It's 'Horrified' School Fatal Stabbing Suspect Attends In New England Says It's 'Horrified'
School Fatal Stabbing Suspect Attends In New England Says It's 'Horrified' As family and friends in Connecticut prepare to pay tribute to a Fairfield County student-athlete who was stabbed to death by another teen, the school the suspect attends says it is "horrified" by the incident. The suspect, a 16-year-old New Haven County teen from Milford, was arrested on Wednesday, May 18, for allegedly stabbing 17-year-old Fairfield Prep junior James "Jimmy" McGrath to death on Saturday, May 14 in Shelton. The school the suspect attends, St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, said in a statement "our entire School Community is horrified and deeply saddened by the tragic…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
COVID-19: School To Close After More Than Half Of Staffers Test Positive COVID-19: School To Close After More Than Half Of Staffers Test Positive
Covid-19: School To Close After More Than Half Of Staffers Test Positive A school in Connecticut will be closed for the rest of the week after being hit with a fresh wave of COVID-19 cases that knocked out more than half of its staff members. In Hartford County, the Henry Barnard Elementary School in Enfield will be closed on both Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6 after 40 of its 75 staff members tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Christopher Drezek announced. Related story - COVID-19: More Than 30 Staff Members Test Positive At School In Enfield “Although we have tried to cover the building with staff members from other schools, we have reached…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
These Berkshire County High Schools Among Nation's Best, New Rankings Say These Berkshire County High Schools Among Nation's Best, New Rankings Say
These Berkshire County High Schools Among Nation's Best, New Rankings Say It’s no secret that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is home to some of the nation’s best schools, but which rank among the top in the country? The U.S. News & World Report released its 2022 list of the best high schools in the country after evaluating nearly 18,000 schools at all levels. According to the organization - which touts itself as “the global authority in education rankings” - high schools were judged on a weighted scale on these factors: College readiness (30 percent); Reading and math proficiency (20 percent); Reading and math performance (20 percent); Underserved studen…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Police Probe Threats Made Against School District In Region, Superintendent Police Probe Threats Made Against School District In Region, Superintendent
Police Probe Threats Made Against School District In Region, Superintendent Law enforcement agencies have been called in to investigate threats and hostile emails targeting a Connecticut school district after it placed a nurse on administrative leave for making comments about LGBTQ+ students, according to officials. In March, a nurse in the Hartford Public School District was placed on administrative leave after comments she posted about students on her personal Facebook account were made public. In response, some who were put off by the nurse’s ousting - believing it to potentially be political in nature - including many from outside of the community and state - …

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Arrested Western Mass Schools Superintendent Placed On Leave Arrested Western Mass Schools Superintendent Placed On Leave
Arrested Western Mass Schools Superintendent Placed On Leave A school superintendent in New England who was arrested by the FBI for allegedly making threats against a police chief candidate has placed on administrative leave. Western Massachusetts resident Lynn Clark age 51, of Belchertown in Hampden County, was arrested early Wednesday, April 6, said FBI Boston Division spokesperson Kristen Setera. Clark is the superintendent of Chicopee Public Schools. Assistance Superintendent Alvin Morton is now the district's acting superintendent, officials said.  Clark was arrested for allegedly making false statements in connection with sending threaten…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
School District In Western Mass Appoints New Superintendent School District In Western Mass Appoints New Superintendent
School District In Western Mass Appoints New Superintendent A veteran educator in New England has been named as the newest superintendent of a Western Massachusetts School District. The School Committee voted unanimously 5-0 to name Dr. Frank Tiano, the interim middle school principal at the Dover-Sherburn Public School in Norfolk County as the newest head of the Ludlow School District, officials announced. Tiano beat out a group of three other prominent educators who are currently in various positions throughout Massachusetts school districts, including administrators and other superintendents. The School Committee reviewed dozens of applications …

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by Zak Failla