Tuesday, September 11, 2012
A former Lexington resident opens up about the OpEd he penned for the New York Times alleging his daughter, then a 5-year-old special needs student, was locked in a closet by educators within the Lexington Public Schools.
It wasn’t the settlement or his daughter's recovery that motivated journalist and former Lexington resident Bill Lichtenstein to write an OpEd for the New York Times about the alleged mistreatment of his daughter, then a kindergartener, within the Lexington Public Schools six years ago. It was Jerry Sandusky. Or, rather, it was the seismic fallout from the child abuse scandal that rocked Penn State, tarnished the reputation of legendary football coach Joe Paterno and forced the responsibility of adults to protect children into the public consciousness. In a piece published over the weekend by the New York Times, Lichtenstein writes about “seclusion rooms” as a cruel punishment for special needs students, and the shock of finding his …
42.460334
-71.221549
Fiske Elementary School
55 Adams St, Lexington, MA
/articles/lichtenstein-explains-times-oped-allegations-against-lps
232084
/locations/7811216
Thursday, May 10, 2012
According to advice from legal counsel, the School Committee can review the data collected during the Wellman Report process, but members must be careful about discussing how it shapes their opinions.
Following a May 9 meeting with legal counsel, the Lexington School Committee will review data gathered during the compilation of the Wellman Report and potentially draw its own conclusions about the report with regard to alleged teacher moral issues within the district. The Wednesday afternoon meeting saw the School Committee consult both town and School Committee counsel about how to approach and use the data – including slips of paper and redacted it interviews consultant Bruce Wellman conducted with district employees – committee members voted April 25 to review. According to Town Counsel Kevin Bott, School Committee members can review the data individually to deepen their understanding of Wellman’s report and the climate within the …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
On short notice, the School Committee tomorrow will seek legal advice regarding how to proceed with the Wellman Report data it voted to review in late April.
The Lexington School Committee is meeting at 3 p.m. tomorrow, May 9, at the Town Office Building, and the only item on its agenda is a discussion with the School Committee and town counsel regarding the Wellman Report data voted to review. On April 25, the School Committee voted in favor of reviewing a redacted version of comments provided by school staff in interviews with consultant Bruce Wellman, who was hired to study alleged issues with teacher morale and professional relationships within the school district. However, two weeks later, that information has not yet been provided. Exactly how the School Commitee moves forward with that data could hinge on tomorrow’s discussion, according to School Committee Chair Mary Ann Stewart, who …
42.446449
-71.224282
Town Office Building
1625 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA
/articles/school-committee-seeking-counsel-on-wellman-data
232594
/locations/6969643
School Committee meeting, revelry on the golf course and more today in Lexington.
1. Superintendent Ash's Eval on the Agenda: The School Committee is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Town Office Building and its revised agenda includes a vote on school choice, a review of the English language arts curriculum and a discussion about Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash's evaluation. 2. Lex Tee It Up: As part of this month's Revolutionary Revelry calendar of events, the Lexington Recreation Department and New England Golf Corporation are hosting an afternoon of discounted golf between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today at Pine Meadows Golf Club. For $15 per person, enjoy a relaxed, nine holes, skills contests with prizes, and a light lunch (burgers and hot dogs) after you golf. Players must have their own clubs, and electric…
42.446449
-71.224282
Town Office Building
1625 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA
/articles/five-things-you-need-to-know-today-may-8-d4fdb958
232594
/locations/6954222
42.45636
-71.250349
Pine Meadows Golf Club
255 Cedar St, Lexington, MA
/articles/five-things-you-need-to-know-today-may-8-d4fdb958
231766
/locations/6954223
42.439153
-71.2151
Youville Place Assisted Living Residence
10 Pelham Rd, Lexington, MA
/articles/five-things-you-need-to-know-today-may-8-d4fdb958
189238
/locations/6954224
Friday, March 23, 2012
Moving forward with consultant Bruce Wellman's report on improving teacher morale in the Lexington Public Schools will involve relying on district staff to address personnel issues, School Committee Chair Mary Ann Stewart said Friday.
Mary Ann Stewart, chairwoman of the Lexington School Committee, is in the same boat as most who attended her board’s March 13 meeting where consultant Bruce Wellman delivered his report on improving professional relationships in the Lexington Public Schools. “I’m interested in hearing what the next steps are,” Stewart said by phone on Friday. “I think it’s a little bit of a puzzle, because some of the issues are personnel, and that’s the internal piece the School Committee is never going to have direct access to unless people tell us. We’re just going to have to rely on the staff in the schools to find out about the work that is going on in the schools.” That work could begin next Monday, March 26, when, according to Stewart, Lexington …
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The public comment period officially opened Thursday, Feb. 16 and extends through Thursday, March 1.
As part of its evaluation of Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash, the Lexington School Committee is asking residents to weigh in. The School Committee earlier this week opened up a two-week public comment period related to the superintendent's annual eval. Rather than seek public input in survey format, the committee is looking for comments in hard copy or email format, signed with the name and address of the submitter. The public comment period officially opened Thursday, Feb. 16 and extends through Thursday, March 1. "The process of improving requires that we work on those areas that have less than satisfactory results, but we also build on our strengths," the original annoucement read. "Your input may help the School Committee provide …
42.446124
-71.222971
Lexington Public Schools Jim Macinnis Office
1557 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA
/articles/school-committee-seeks-public-comment-in-superintendent-eval
188756
/locations/6399682
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
An educator for more than 30 years, Cohen has served as Lexington High's principal since 2008.
Lexington High School Principal Natalie Cohen has announced her intentions to graduate into retirement at the end of the school year. In a Jan. 9 letter to the school and community, Cohen, the LHS principal since 2008, said she is grateful to have had the opportunity to work “among the most committed students and teachers” she’s encountered in her more than 30 years as an educator. Cohen wrote that the decision to retire has been a difficult, but one she is making together with her husband and they hope to spend more time with family. “Over the course of the next six months I look forward to talking with you in person and thanking you for some of most profound experiences I could ever have imagined,” Cohen wrote. “I won’t say goodbye yet; …
42.44148
-71.23178
Lexington High School
251 Waltham St, Lexington, MA
/articles/lhs-principal-natalie-cohen-to-retire-june-30
232115
/locations/6155827
Thursday, November 10, 2011
It appears Grove Street will remain the access road during construction.
Cars and construction vehicles will most likely access Estabrook Elementary School off Grove Street, not Robinson Road, while the new school is being built. The School Committee unanimously agreed to move forward with such a plan Tuesday, a week after the Estabrook School Access Ad Hoc Task Force unanimously backed the same plan, which was developed by architects at Boston-based DiNisco Design. “We heard from our architects that Robinson Road is not a practical entranceway for construction vehicles,” Superintendent Paul Ash said at Tuesday’s meeting in the Town Office Building. Ash said it would take at least one year, maybe two, to upgrade Robinson Road, which runs behind the school, to a suitable level for construction vehicles, and …
42.476432
-71.239546
Estabrook Elementary School
117 Grove St, Lexington, MA
/articles/traffic-plan-for-estabrook-s-construction-phase-moves-forward
232083
/locations/5774975
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The School Committee's response to Open Meeting Law complaints about the superintendent's contract extension did not satisfy one of the complaintants, who has asked the Attorney General's Office to intervene.
In June, the School Committee received a pair of complaints alleging Open Meeting Law violations after a meeting at which the committee told an overflowing audience that it voted to extend the superintendent’s contract during an executive session a week earlier. At the time, School Committee Chairwoman Mary Ann Stewart asked counsel to prepare a response, which concluded that neither the School Committee Counsel nor town Counsel believed the School Committee violated any Open Meeting Laws. Apparently, that wasn’t good enough. Eric Eid-Reiner, one of the complaintants, has filed with the Attorney General's Office an appeal of the School Committee's response to his Open Meeting Law Complaint. According to Eid-Reiner and his complaint, he…
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The School Committee has responded to Open Meeting Law complaints from a pair of residents.
The School Committee has filed its response to two Open Meeting Law complaints with the Attorney General's Office, according to Chairwoman Mary Ann Stewart. After the filing occurred yesterday afternoon, hard copies were sent to the complaints, as well as Schoool Committee members, the Town Clerk and Town Counsel, according to Stewart, who indicated the responses will be posted ot the Lexington Public Schools website later this week. "Both School Committee Counsel and Town Counsel agree that the School Committee did not violate any Open Meeting Laws," Stewart wrote in the email. The filing comes after the School Committee met Friday, June 24, to meet with town and school counsel to strategize the committee’s response to Open Meeting Law …
Citizen
9:39 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
What is the attraction of Lexington - rumor, fact or fiction. If Lexington no longer wants a reputation that attracts more special education kids let the truth come out. Shirley Jackson's inspiration for "The Lottery" was a quaint beautiful hamlet in Vermont. Don't deny. Embrace the culture of abuse as dues for the privilege to live in Lexington. The LPS rating dropped from AAA to AA. Maybe they … more ›