October 25, 2013

Dear Newton Community,

The past few weeks have been among the most difficult that the Newton Public Schools have experienced in a very long time. Karen Douglas and Katie Stack were terrific young women who were deeply connected to so many students and adults in our system. Their tragic deaths have had a significant impact on many people in our community. The horrific murder of two educators this week, including a dynamic young teacher in Danvers, only exacerbates a very tense time.

While it is hard not to be shaken by our recent events, I have seen courage, compassion and care by members of our community that are truly remarkable. At Monday night’s meeting at Newton South, Karen’s mother spoke powerfully about the importance of doing everything possible to support students with depression and other mental health issues. She expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone in the Newton Public Schools who did so much to support her daughter during very difficult times.

During the last few weeks, I have observed faculty and staff at both high schools and Springboard, clearly emotional themselves, comforting students visibly shaken by the recent deaths. I also saw many individuals at North and South reaching out immediately after both tragedies to the students and families who are most vulnerable. Last week, I noticed administrators, counselors and psychologists from our other middle schools descend upon Oak Hill to address the needs of both students who knew Katie through her brother (a 7th grader at Oak Hill) and faculty members who worked directly with her.

We continue to rely on the expertise of those in the mental health and suicide prevention field. In the last three weeks, the high schools have focused on vulnerable students and reaching out to families when necessary. By next week, both schools will share plans on how we will provide opportunities to have students join in the conversation about mental health issues, including depression and suicide prevention.

In the coming weeks, we will be examining what we can do as a district to ensure that our strategies to support students with depression and other mental health issues are as effective as possible. It is a privilege to work in a city that has a wealth of resources and expertise to address the needs of our students and staff and I expect we will call on these resources in the coming weeks.

Finally, I want to express my appreciation for the outpouring of good will that our system has received during a very trying time. It gives me great hope that together, we will provide the support, care and kindness necessary to move forward.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

Dear Newton Community,

I am writing to give you an update on the first day of school and the community meeting that was held at Day Middle School last night.  As you can imagine, many people remain stunned regarding the arrest of one of our teachers on child pornography charges last week.

I visited Day on two different occasions yesterday to check in with the administration and faculty and greet students.  I am very pleased to tell you that it was an excellent opening at Day and I cannot say enough about the work that Principal Brian Turner and the entire Day faculty and staff did to ensure that the students had a positive experience on their first day.  In the coming days, we will be certain to provide the necessary support to the Day Middle School students and staff as we recognize that individuals process upsetting information in various stages.

We also checked in with principals at other schools throughout the day and the consistent reports we received indicated that schools were functioning very well.  I was not surprised to hear this news, as our crisis team worked diligently to ensure the faculty was prepared to address whatever concerns might arise.  As we expected, an overwhelming majority of students wanted to focus on the excitement of starting a new school year, beginning their classes and reconnecting with their friends.

Last night, we had a community forum where parents and other residents had the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of me, the Newton Police and mental health experts.  Clearly, the news of last Friday has the potential to erode public trust in our system and our goal last night was to assure the community that the Newton Public Schools remain safe, secure and fully capable of meeting both the academic and emotional needs of our children.

I appreciate how difficult it is to comprehend the alleged actions of a veteran employee who showed no signs of any inappropriate behavior nor was the recipient of any such complaints.  As I said last night, in the coming weeks, we will not only continue to review the record of this employee, we will continue to ensure that our background checks, reference checks and employee complaint process are as thorough as possible.

Thank you very much for your understanding and support during a challenging start to the school year.  Given the outpouring of goodwill that I have seen over the past several days, I feel confident that the year ahead will be a positive one.

Sincerely,

David

David A. Fleishman Superintendent of Schools

August 30, 2013

Dear Newton Community,

I am writing with some very upsetting information regarding one of our teachers. We just learned that Steven Chan, a long time math teacher at Day Middle School was arrested on child pornography charges. We have been told by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office that the investigation does not involve any Newton students. As you can imagine, this news is very difficult for everyone in the Day and the broader community to absorb. It is even more shocking in light of the events at Underwood just a year and a half ago.

We are and will continue to work very closely with our partners in the Newton Police Department and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office as the investigation continues. As we approach the opening of school, the Day crisis team will be prepared to support students, parents and staff. Day principal Brian Turner will be communicating directly with the Day community regarding more specific plans for next Tuesday. We will work closely with Principal Turner to maintain stability and daily routine during this challenging time.

The news of a Newton teacher’s arrest and arraignment on such serious charges for the second time in a year and a half has a real impact on the entire Newton community. Due to the media attention focused on the matter, we know that students will be talking about information that may make them feel shocked, anxious and angered. While I expect that many of you will speak with your children about the sensitive nature of the allegations, they may need additional support. If this is the case, the staff in our buildings will be well prepared to address their concerns. As the school year begins, we will pay special attention to the social and emotional needs of all of our students and encourage you to share any concerns you may have with our faculty, staff and administrators.

Given the seriousness of this incident and the concerns it raises, we will be holding a community meeting on Tuesday night, September 3rd at 7pm in the Day Auditorium. This meeting will provide an opportunity to ask questions and hear from both law enforcement authorities and mental health experts.

Thank you very much for your understanding. We want to do everything possible to support the Newton community and we will continue to provide information to you as we work together during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

August 30, 2013

Dear Newton Families,

Whether you are new to Newton or returning to our system, welcome to the 2013-14 school year. This is a wonderful time of year for those of us who are privileged to work in the Newton Public Schools because it allows us individual and organizational renewal.

While our school buildings were not filled with students over the past two months, it was an especially busy time for our district. Adding classroom space at the middle and elementary school levels has been a major priority and we are thrilled that we have completed a permanent addition at Day Middle School and added modular classrooms at several elementary schools. As a result of these additions and the teachers that we were able to add through the operating override, many grade levels will begin with some of the most favorable class sizes that Newton has seen in a number of years. I am also pleased to let you know that we have additional technology at all levels of the district, which is especially exciting given the innovative ways it is being used throughout the system.

Summer is also a time for our educators to engage in their own learning and July and August were filled with professional work in areas such as curriculum, assessment, and technology integration. We were also able to complete our very thorough hiring process. On Monday, I had the good fortune of welcoming over 150 dynamic new educators to our system.

It is clear that Newton is a very good school system as measured by a number of indicators, both quantitative and qualitative. From my perspective, the most important indicator of a school system is the degree to which we are openly addressing the areas where we need to improve. Over the summer, I spent significant time with the School Committee updating our system goals, which will be finalized and distributed next month.

Building partnerships with Newton’s families is vital to a successful school experience for our students and we will continue to make this a priority in the coming year. We look forward to keeping you well informed of our goals, challenges and accomplishments. Best wishes for a productive and rewarding school year.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools

May 31, 2013

Dear Families,

As you are well aware, there has been a heightened focus on security throughout our country. Events such as the tragedy in Newtown and the Boston Marathon bombings last month have caused many school districts, including Newton, to reexamine security procedures. Our challenge is to ensure that all buildings are safe and secure while preserving the sense of community that is a hallmark of the Newton Public Schools.

In January, we made the recommendation to the School Committee that security access systems be installed in Newton’s elementary and middle schools, as part of an effort to increase safety measures. The installation is nearly complete and four schools (Bigelow, Bowen, Lincoln-Elliot, and Ward) will be the pilot locations for the security systems beginning next week. At these schools, doors will be locked once students have entered the building. The security measures for other pre-K through 8 schools will be activated after the pilot is complete and any needed adjustments are made. You can expect to hear more information from your building principal regarding the specifics of our new procedures.

As you can imagine, putting new security protocols into practice is a major change for all of us. As is the case with the implementation of any new system, there will clearly be challenges. Our staff is participating in training sessions and we are optimistic that we will work out the kinks in the system by the end of this school year.

Please understand that we have reviewed other security practices as well. As an added safety measure, we will soon be providing identification badges for all faculty and staff within the Newton Public Schools.

Many thanks for your understanding and support during this time of transition.

David

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools