* MASC Staff is Available for Your Questions and Guidance *

Due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), in consultation with the MASC Board of Directors, many of the MASC staff are currently working remotely.

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MASC Guide to Member Roles in Reopening of Schools

Download / Print Guide Here

As the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) prepares final guidance for districts to use in reopening schools in September 2020, many school committee members have raised questions and sought advice from MASC.

This is a time of uncertainty and extraordinary challenges for everyone associated with public schools. The COVID-19 situation imposes almost daily changes in how we plan for September. School committee members have a unique role to play not only as policy makers with fiduciary responsibilities for the education of children, but also as community leaders to whom parents, neighbors, and students turn for answers. You may join with your superintendents to provide a thoughtful and responsible information and advice to your constituents or to those who contact you.

Since the state has explained that considerable discretion will be given to districts regarding the opening of school, you should work with your superintendent to develop the plan that works most effectively and safely for your children and families.

MASC has developed this advisory to help you navigate the potentially rough and uncharted routes to a successful school opening and a solid 2020-2021 school year. We will be updating this document as members raise new questions or as events develop.

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Public Policy Updates: June 2020 Board of Ed

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on Tuesday, June 30 remotely to close the school year. The agenda is online here; the videos of the meeting (of which there are three in sequence) begin here.

Chair Katherine Craven opened by commenting that the Board intends to continue to allow for some form of remote public comment even after the meetings are back together, as it has allowed for greater participation of more people from across the state. She also recognized newly appointed member Darlene Lombos of the Greater Boston Labor Council who is filling the labor seat vacated by Ed Doherty. 

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Charting the Course Orientation Program Update

The Summer 2020 MASC Charting the Course programs will be offered online through Zoom. Registration is available on the Events page. Two complete programs will be offered, one in July and one in August. Each program will take place over three days and will include a total of six sessions. Each individual session requires pre-registration in order to receive the session link via email and track attendance. Members who register for and attend all 6 sessions in one of the programs will receive certification that they have completed the Massachusetts training requirements for new school committee members. Each session will have its own registration and Zoom link, so be sure to register for all six to complete the program. The program schedules are available below.

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Resolutions on COVID-19 Expenses and Response to Social, Economic & Racial Justice in Our Communities

The MASC Board of Directors has recommended that the attached resolutions be forwarded to our Resolutions Committee for consideration of the entire MASC membership. The resolutions address a) funding for the expenses related to COVID-19 including supplies and equipment needed to help schools reopen safely that originated with some of our CT Valley school committees and b) the response to issues of racism, equity, and diversity that have moved to center stage as the result of the events across the country during the past few weeks as developed by Denise Hurst, MASC Vice President and former Chair of the Minority Caucus, and Jake Oliveira, MASC Past President and Member of Directors of the National School Boards Association Board of Directors.

Because of the urgency and timeliness of both issues, the we are encouraging districts to consider them locally and respond by forwarding them to:

• Governor Baker
• Education Secretary Peyser
• Your State Senator and Representative
• Senate President Karen Spilka
• House Speaker Robert DeLeo

and that you do so immediately during this fiscal and public health crisis and the call for social and economic equity.

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MASC Statement Following the Death of George Floyd

The Massachusetts Association of School Committees deplores the indefensible actions of the Minneapolis police that resulted in the murder of George Floyd. We further call upon all of our national, state and local leaders to recognize that Mr. Floyd’s death and the demands of millions of Americans to respond must be addressed with, not only swift and fair justice, but also with a national commitment to secure freedom from hate, bigotry, and social and economic injustice.

As school leaders, we must look to those policies, practices and procedures that often unintentionally produce inequitable outcomes for children at risk and adopt strong anti-racism policy statements locally to show our commitment to identify, challenge and change values, structures and behaviors that can create systemic racism.

We call upon our colleagues and constituents at every level of government and in every school district to use their positions as leaders, educators and mentors to the current and future generations to speak out and use their classrooms, schools and their voices as instruments for securing social and economic justice for our students, their families, and their communities and their nation. We must move with purpose to ensure that the we, as a people, act deliberately to demonstrate to all Americans that prejudice and hate will not be tolerated and will be challenged at every turn.

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