August 6, 2019 Regular (Summer) Meeting
Whereas the School Committee passed an order related to reviewing school building namesakes relation to the slave trade; and
Whereas the School Committee also wishes to understand if any school buildings are named for people who sought to oppress women; Now therefore the School Committee ask that the historical review of ties to slavery include a review of ties of namesakes to the oppression of women.
That the following be amended and referred to the Superintendent:
Whereas the School Committee worked to raise the level of instruction for all students through the Level Up initiative at CRLS; and
Whereas a recent Globe project on valedictorians documented a sobering and critically important question of whether high schools are preparing students for success: and
Whereas the recent report The Opportunity Myth by The New Teachers Project found that despite 71% of students in a national representative sample of audited classes met classroom expectations and succeeded on assignments, only 17% of those assignments were on grade level when evaluated; and Whereas both the Valedictorian Project and The New Teachers Project identified the need for high expectations and intentional focus on rigorous curriculum, instruction and assignments as key to delivering on the promise of success in college and life; and
Whereas there were gaps by racial subgroups in performance on common assessment; and
Whereas nearly 1 in 3 CRLS students indicated that teachers do not have very high expectations of them; Therefore, the School Committee directs the Administration to evaluate the Level Up ELA classes, to ensure that the initiative is as successful as possible. The School Committee requests the Superintendent submits a report no later than the August 6, 2019 Regular Summer Meeting.
That the following be adopted as amended:
That whereas bottled water is environmentally devastating, and
Whereas bottled water costs approximately 50 times more than city water, and Whereas Cambridge's water routinely exceeds health and safety standards, and Whereas the school district and the city have sought to reduce waste and encourage city water consumption over bottled water, and
Whereas the City Council passed an order recognizing this issue on January 28, 2019, be it ordered
That the district establish a policy that no district funds, unless necessary, may be used to purchase bottled water, and
That this policy be referred to the Superintendent for a report by the summer meeting, and
That this policy be communicated to all schools.
That the following be adopted as amended:
Due to legislation passed by the State Legislature that requests early screenings of students to identify if they have dyslexia,
That the Superintendent take appropriate steps to ensure that students are screened and that students who are identified receive appropriate and timely supports and that training and support for teachers is in place. Superintendent will report back on how the district will comply with the present law by the Regular meeting in November.
Whereas the Cambridge Public Schools and the City of Cambridge strive to provide quality and equitable access to all programming for students and families, and
Whereas, the registration process for programming from the City of Cambridge Department of Human Services and the CPSD Control Choice model often doesn't align leaving families in a stressful position annually during the beginning of the academic school year, and
Whereas this misalignment creates significant uncertainty and tension when it comes to securing and scheduling after school care for working families, Therefore be it resolved, that CPSD collaborate with the City of Cambridge Department of Human Services to review the registration process for both CPSD and CDHS as a means to better serve Cambridge families by the 2020/21 school year. Furthermore, the Committee requests that the CPS administration discuss with DHS ways to better align the Community Schools Program with the school year calendar.
Whereas the School Committee seeks to recognize outstanding achievements; and
Whereas the AMC 10, a rigorous national exam designed for top math students who exhibit creativity in mathematical thinking took place earlier this year; and
Whereas three of the top four students from CPS who took the exam were upper school students, and came in first, second and fourth; that the School Committee send a congratulatory letter to students Sebastian Prasanna (7th grade who also received a certificate of Distinction for his results), Charlotte Younger (6th grade) and Hugh Koschwanez (8th grade); and Further, that the School Committee commend CRLS Hanfei Cui (10th grade) who placed third at the school and was thus designated a CRLS team member.
That the School Committee send a letter of condolence to the family of Daisy Rodriguez and the staff of CSV, and recognize her lifelong dedication to making Cambridge a better place; and especially salute her service to Cambridge School Volunteers for 21 years providing support for thousands of Cambridge Public School students who walked through CSV's doors; and appreciation for her contributions to numerous Cambridge organizations including initiating a program to ensure that CRLS football athletes received nutritional products for games.