“The idea was to give the community some way to care, which they were aching to do; to give a local establishment some extra business; and to feed families.” - Rev. Erik Karas
School districts are working with a cohort of community partners to address the growing need for support of families with young children during this unexpected break from school.
In Great Barrington, town officials put out a statement yesterday, and at Monday's selectboard meeting, town health agent Rebecca Jurczyk briefed officials on measures the town is taking to prepare for the virus.
Though the school district denies any wrongdoing, the investigator did make recommendations which the school committee voted to adopt and that it has directed Superintendent Beth Regulbuto to implement.
The most recent edition of the Bold Eagle, the student newspaper for Mount Everett Regional School, ran a front-page news story and an editorial on the controversy surrounding two administrators and the school committee.
Brenda Olivieri alleges that Southern Berkshire Regional School District Superintendent Beth Regulbuto has "created a culture of fear and intimidation," resulting in retaliatory action against her "for reporting unlawful conduct."
In a letter to the editor, Chip Elitzer writes, "In the most egregious example, in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District, a taxpayer in Sheffield pays a rate that is almost seven times higher than a taxpayer in Alford who has identically assessed property."
According to the complaint, Kurt DeGrenier had voiced concerns that his son, now in 10th grade at Mount Everett, was not receiving the services and accommodations set forth in his individualized educational program, a plan developed to ensure that a child with an identified disability receives specialized instruction and related services.
School committee members noted that the driving force behind the merger should be greater opportunity for students and a desire "to keep education strong" in the two districts amid declining enrollments.
In a letter to the editor David Hastings writes: “Serving as the Superintendent, I found both Bonnie and Dennis to be very demanding and nearly always right, making sure that our children got only the best.”
In his letter George McGurn writes: “We want to give parents and community members a reason to engage, not disengage. Bright, energetic, serious, working people are stepping forward.”
Some parents appeared to be confused about whether faculty member Jim Berlstein's post concerned actual safety at the school or his frustration with his own employment situation -- or perhaps the employment situation of everyone on the faculty and staff.
