Civics Challenge CanceledUnfortunately we have had to cancel our Middle School Civics Challenge scheduled for Sunday, May 17. We hope to bring it back next year. Please check our website in January 2027 for information.
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On Monday, October 7, 2024, LWVN, together with its cosponsors LWVMA, LWV Boston, LWV Brookline, LWV Needham, LWV Harvard, LWV Waltham, LWV Wellesley, and LWV Weston, hosted a forum to discuss Question #2 on November’s ballot: Should Massachusetts eliminate the MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement?
We heard an extremely robust debate about the pros and cons of this ballot initiative from our panelists Deb McCarthy and Alain Jehlen (proponents of “Yes” on Question #2), Ed Lambert and Jill Norton (proponents of “No” on Question #2), and Farah Assiraj (a school administrative expert). Our moderator was Heather Hamilton. This event was taped by Brookline Interactive Group (“BIG”), Brookline’s local media outlet.
On October 10, 2024, LWVN sent a letter to City Council President Marc Laredo, urging the City Council to call a special election for the vacant Ward 7 School Committee seat. It has been more than a month since Amy Davenport resigned her seat on the School Committee. Pursuant to Section 8-4 of the City Charter:
“Special elections to fill the office of councilor, mayor or school committee member as provided in sections 2-5, 3-10 and 4-6 shall be held within 120 days following the date on which the election is called. Persons elected at the elections shall immediately be sworn and assume their office.”
That means that even if the City Council acts now to set a special election, residents of Ward 7 could be without a representative on the School Committee for as much as five months. Further delays in calling the special election will result in an even longer period in which there is a vacant seat on the School Committee and residents of Ward 7 are unrepresented.
You can read the entirety of the LWVN letter below.
On Friday, March 29, 2024, The Newton Beacon published an opinion letter, submitted by LWVN, advocating for the protection of our public school system, encouraging Newton residents to get engaged in our civic process with respect to the election of school committee members, and stay informed regarding the school budget process.
The opinion letter asked Newton residents to:
“observe City Council and School Committee meetings, … demand transparency and clarity around policy and budget for the schools, … exercise our right to have input into these matters. … We need to address the lack of interest in holding public office and running for School Committee. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need you to vote. “
View the Opinion Letter as published in The Newton Beacon.
Read the letter here:
On January 25, 2024, LWVN sent a letter to the Mayor and the School Committee expressing its concern over the ongoing contract dispute with the Newton Teachers Association and urging the Mayor and the School Committee to use their creativity and collaboration to resolve the crisis affecting Newton’s schools, and find the funds needed to “get to yes” for a fair contract, thereby ensuring sufficient resources are available to enable NPS’s professional workforce to meet the complex needs and costs of supporting and educating Newton’s diverse student population.
You can read the entirety of LWVN’s letter below.
According to the American Library Association (ALA), “Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community — librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021.
PEN America counted school book bans in the 2022-2023 school year, and found 3,362 book bans affecting 1,557 unique titles, with more than 40% of the bans occurring in Florida.
We invite you to take action on “Let Freedom Read” Day – October 7, 2023!
To better explore the issue of banned books, LWVN is inviting all community members to join us in a December book group discussion on one of the most banned books of the last two years, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe. We will be discussing the book (and other books on the banned books list, if you are inclined to read others), why it has caused so many schools and libraries to remove it from the shelves, whether LWVN or any League should take a position on book banning, and more.
Following the discussion, we invite all to celebrate with us the holiday season and join in some holiday cheer. More details to follow.
For more information on Banned Books, read below.