boston public schools

Boston Public Schools officials announced two finalists in the search for the district’s next superintendent will be interviewed this week in a series of public meetings.

After months of repeated messaging by Boston Public Schools and city leadership that masks would remain in place for students and staff at BPS, Monday marked the first day that masks were optional for those in good health on school grounds.

Teachers and parent activists protested outside One Ashburton Place Tuesday morning while the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education discussed its review of the Boston Public Schools in what’s widely perceived as a precursor to state intervention into Massachusetts’ largest school district.

Several weeks of reports about the Mission Hill School were followed by a bag of bullets found outside of a school, then a bullet found in a different school bathroom in what seemed like a movie scene. What has been most evident over the past few weeks is the Boston Public Schools’ central office leadership has failed to create a comprehensive crisis response plan and it continues to be needed more than ever.

Mayor Michelle Wu has announced a Green New Deal program to renovate existing school buildings and construct new ones, pledging $2 billion in capital expenditures.

Boston Public Schools officials had a challenging week, with the April 27 release of a report of widespread abuse of students and a culture of impunity at the Mission Hill School, leading to a recommendation from the superintendent to close the school.

With the threat of a state intervention hanging over the city’s schools, local education activists suspect Education Commissioner Jeff Riley may seek to target a cohort of Boston schools for state takeover.

On March 9, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey Riley fired off an email to Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius informing her his office will conduct a district review — an audit of the city’s public schools — citing late buses, the concentration of students of color in special education classrooms and other unspecified concerns.

As she marks her first 100 days in office, Mayor Michelle Wu has notched some early victories, including the mostly successful removal of the tent encampment in the Mass and Cass area and the rollout of several free bus lines — the latter, at least partially making good on a campaign promise for a fare-free T.

Rather than giving coveted political search committee spots to foundation and corporate leaders, the search should be led by school communities who have experienced closure or budget cuts because of the mistakes of the weighted student funding formula, or parents whose children experience special education and the Office of English Learners on a daily basis.

ongresswoman Ayanna Pressley joined at-large City Councilor Julia Mejia and students from the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) in a virtual town hall on Tuesday to discuss the COVID-19 response, the youth mental health crisis and how policymakers can support students and their families.