ARPS Notice Regarding Temporary Protected Status for El Salvadorian Immigrants

[On] January 8 it was announced that federal Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be ended for El Salvadorian immigrants beginning in 2019. Many members of our community immigrated from El Salvador under TPS. These are valued individuals who enrich our ARPS community in countless ways.

Since the announcement that TPS will be ending, we have heard from families who are concerned about their children’s status in our district. We want to ensure families that, consistent with our past practice, our core beliefs, and established law, we will continue to enroll and serve every child living in our district who chooses to attend our schools, without regard to their immigration status.

The case law on this topic is very clear and can be found in the United States Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe from 1982. Stemming from that decision, federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education states that:

All children in the United States are entitled to equal access to a basic public elementary and secondary education regardless of their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians.

Nothing in yesterday’s announcement alters our policy of providing equal access to all students or our commitment to providing all children with the academic and emotional support that will allow them to flourish and become contributing members of our community.

Sincerely,

Michael Morris

Superintendent of Schools

Jean Fay

Amherst-Pelham Education Association President

Statement from Dr. Michael Morris

On Tuesday, October 10, 2017 Dr. Morris was named Superintendent of Schools. Here is a statement he released after this appointment:

"It has been a privilege to have spent my educational career in our districts working on behalf of the children of Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury, and I am honored that I have been allowed to continue that work as the Superintendent of Schools. I want to thank the members of the School Committee for developing an open and thoughtful process in making this decision and for affording me this opportunity. The support of the School Committees, the outstanding Amherst Regional Public Schools faculty and staff, and the broader community has been invaluable during my time as Interim Superintendent. I look forward to continuing to build on those strong working relationships as we move forward with our vital work to support our communities’ most valuable resource—our children. Thank you again to the School Committee for showing your confidence in me in the vote for my appointment as well as over the past 13 months; I am excited for the journey ahead that we will travel, together, for the betterment of our students, families, staff, and community."

Letter to the Community Regarding the Amherst Elementary School Building Project

March 30, 2017

To:       The Amherst Public School District staff and administration and the Amherst community,

From:  Phoebe Hazzard, Amherst School Committee Vice-Chair and Dr. Michael Morris, Interim Superintendent

While the proposed new schools building project failed to achieve a two-thirds majority in Tuesday's referendum vote, our district will continue to move forward and plan for ways to ensure that our schools remain the best teaching and learning environments possible for our students and staff. There is no question that there was a wide range of opinions and feelings about the project in our small community. But the rigorous and passionate debate leading up to the vote reinforced how deeply our community cares about our elementary schools. And, the activity around the referendum has sparked an upswell in civic involvement, with many district parents now engaging as elected participants in our local democratic system.

Though provocative, the conversation around the proposed building project has also made our community increasingly aware of persistent issues that educators, administrators, and school committees have been grappling with for years, particularly the challenging physical environment of the Fort River and Wildwood buildings, uneven socio-economic distribution of our families, lack of affordable preschool, and fiscal challenges. Our educators work every day to provide our children with outstanding educational experiences despite a challenging teaching environment. These problems remain unresolved, and as we move forward we must be committed to continuing to consider how to address them in the most fiscally responsible and timely manner possible.

The Amherst School Committee will hold its next public meeting on April 25th at 6:00 p.m., at which we will likely discuss next steps. Interim Superintendent Dr. Morris will move forward with requests for the town to fund the outstanding capital repairs needed at Fort River and Wildwood, beginning with $500,000 to replace the Wildwood boiler. The district will also request $115,000 to conduct a site and building assessment at the Fort River School to inform discussion about the future potential of that site.

As we begin this next chapter, we’d like to express a sincere thank you to the members of the School Building Committee for their hundreds of hours of work on the proposed school buildings project.

Science and Nature: Local Resources for Families

Amherst College's Beneski Museum of Natural History

from Interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Morris, published in the ARPS March 10 newsletter:

"... we are fortunate to live in an area that offers many resources that can be used to support science learning. To help elementary families make the most of these opportunities, we offer you "Science for Families," a print and digital resource which features natural areas, museums, education centers, libraries, and more. 

Soon, elementary students will bring home a copy of the guide; it is included in this newsletter and you can also access it at https://goo.gl/sbzom3. We hope this resource connects you and your children with many joyful learning experiences in and around Amherst.

Letter to the Community from Amherst/Northampton Superintendents

Letter to the Community

November 9, 2016

Dear Amherst-Pelham Regional and Northampton Communities:

Today, many students came to school expressing feelings about the Presidential Election in our similar school communities. Some indicated that they were in need of support or that they are concerned for their friends. In general, our response has been to provide instructional routines which benefit students; to reassure students that our districts do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, economic status, or ethnic background; and to provide additional support from our mental health teams. Additionally, our staff has facilitated dialogue and guided discussions about the election as students have raised the topic to make classrooms safe for all students to discuss their viewpoints regardless of their reaction to the election.

We are aware that there is a range of opinions and emotions from many individuals in our communities. Our talented staff will continue to be sensitive to students who express concerns about the election results and will partner with students and families to support them in whatever way is needed.

If you feel that your child would benefit from additional support or a check-in based on what you are seeing at home, please let your child’s teacher know and we will ensure that this support is offered. We are fully committed to maintaining our districts as safe places for all students to learn and interact with others in their school community.

A helpful video about talking to your children about the results can be found here: https://goo.gl/mYIdxL If you have any questions, please let us know.

Best,

Dr. Michael Morris                                     

Interim Superintendent                              

Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools            

Dr. John Provost

Superintendent

Northampton Public Schools

LAS ESCUELAS REGIONALES PÚBLICAS DE AMHERST 

9 de noviembre de 2016

Estimadas Comunidades de Regionales de Amherst-Pelham y Northampton:

En el día de hoy, muchos estudiantes llegaron a la escuela expresando sentimientos acerca de la elección presidencial en nuestras comunidades escolares similares. Algunos indicaron que estaban en necesidad de apoyo y / o que estaban preocupados por sus amigos. En general, nuestra respuesta ha sido proporcionar rutinas de instrucción que benefician a los estudiantes; para asegurarle a los estudiantes que nuestros distritos no toleran la discriminación por motivos de raza, color, sexo, identidad de género, religión, discapacidad, origen nacional, orientación sexual, situación económica, o el origen étnico; y para proporcionar apoyo adicional por parte de nuestros equipos de salud mental. Además, nuestro personal ha facilitado el diálogo y guiado discusiones acerca de las elecciones, ya que los estudiantes han planteado el tema de hacer aulas seguras donde todos los estudiantes puedan discutir sus puntos de vista, independientemente de su reacción a la elección.

Estamos conscientes de que hay una gama de opiniones y emociones de muchos individuos en nuestras comunidades. Nuestro talentoso personal continuará siendo sensible a los estudiantes que expresan sus preocupaciones acerca de los resultados de las elecciones, y se asociará con los estudiantes y las familias para apoyarlos de cualquier manera que se necesiten.

Si usted siente que su hijo/a se beneficiaría de apoyo adicional o de un chequeo basado en lo que está viendo en casa, por favor déjele saber al maestro de su hijo/a y nos aseguraremos de que este apoyo se ofrezca. Estamos totalmente comprometidos a mantener a nuestros distritos lugares seguros para que todos los estudiantes aprendan e interactúen con otros en su comunidad escolar.

Un video muy útil sobre cómo hablar con sus hijos acerca de los resultados que puede encontrar en: https://goo.gl/mYIdxL Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, por favor háganoslo saber.

Los mejores deseos,

Dr. Michael Morris                                               

Superintendente Interino                                     

Escuelas Regionales de Amherst-Pelham

Dr. John Provost          

Superintendente  

Escuelas Públicas de Northampton

District News Including Postponed Merger of ARMS/ARHS

Excerpted for Superintendent Maria Geryk's weekly newsletter dated Friday, January 29:

"Dear Parents and Guardians:

For a year now, the district has been studying the potential of merging ARMS and ARHS in one grade 7-12 building.  On Tuesday, the administration presented the Regional School Committee with the findings of the study.  While we recommend that consolidation occur, we also recommend that it be postponed until September 2018, for a variety of reasons.  My weekly newsletter includes the text of the administration’s recommendation, and the full 179-page report can be read here.

I’m also pleased to report on the annual Amherst College Day at Crocker Farm in this week’s newsletter and to share information about FREE workshops on the topic of Dyslexia, being hosted by SEPAC.  I hope that many of you will take advantage of these important opportunities to learn more about Dyslexia and how to help struggling or reluctant readers.

Have a great weekend!

Maria"

full news letter available here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-2bHm-1AjRfSFZVUlpxNzJjeUU