Dear NPS Families,
As you may know, the Newton School Committee recently held a public hearing in response to a petition requesting the creation of “an Academic Principles Advisory Committee (the "Advisory Committee") to serve the citizens of this City regarding establishment of core principles for NPS.” (hearing recording link.) The hearing was mandated by the City of Newton charter, which requires a public hearing to be held when specific requirements are met.
The evening was a model of civic engagement. I am grateful to all who attended for their civility, respectfulness, and meaningful civic discourse on a challenging topic. People from all parts of our community came together to voice their opinion, their concerns, and their feedback to elected officials, our Newton School Committee. Thank you for serving as role models for positive participation, particularly for our young students also in attendance.
Those young students from Franklin Elementary had this to share with us:
"All of the ways that we are the same and different is a big and important part of our school community and makes us better people who will make the world better...We (should) talk about this more, not less."
As a school district, we were grateful to hear so much support for our efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The following are a few excerpts from statements made at the hearing:
“When my junior honors students use linear combinations of trigonometric functions to parameterize the path of a point on a rolling wheel, or when they use the hypergeometric distribution to model bad actors trying to change the outcome of a national election, they weren’t distracted by the fact we have a Calculus Project. In fact, several of them are in the Calculus Project.” – NSHS Teacher
“We should teach our teachers that this is something they should recognize as a risk because we’re all a microcosm of our greater society, and bias exists. That’s an objective truth.” – School Committee Member
“We are proud of the work we do to foster excellence in academics as well as critical thinking skills, empathetic citizenship and an anti racist mindset." – NNHS Teacher
“Newton schools are excellent, not in spite of the extensive elective offerings and commitment to racial equity, but because of them.” – NPS parent
Ultimately, the school committee voted unanimously not to approve the petition request. Despite the denial of the request, the School Committee is elected to be responsive to NPS families and the larger Newton community and is charged with approving the district’s systemwide goals. As a district, we are committed to communication and ongoing growth to support our students and care about our relationship with families. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about your student’s academic growth, challenge, or mental health, I encourage you to reach out to their teacher(s.)
As a district, our goal is to ensure that all students are supported to achieve at high levels in schools that make them feel safe, valued, and respected. We know that sustaining our efforts to build an inclusive, engaging, challenging, and culturally-responsive organization is essential to preparing students for their futures.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Smith
Interim Superintendent
