Superintendent Maureen Binienda
SCHOOL TO JAIL PIPELINE AND ICE
Meeting
With Superintendent Binienda 7-12-17
On July 12,
2017 people from Mass. Human Rights Comte., Progressive Party, and other met
with School Superintendent Maureen Binienda and School Safety Officer Robert Pezzella.
The discussion included the so called School to Jail Pipeline, Policies
regarding ICE, and high stakes testing.
Regarding the issue of the school resource
officers (police in schools) many of the issued raised seemed to outside of the
School Administration to control.
Whether school resource officers (SRO) should carry guns in school and
when they make arrests are decisions that can only be changed by the Police
Chief and the City Manager.
Mr. Pezzella
promised to provide further information regarding the number of students
arrested at school for last 2 years, the curriculum of the 40 hours of training
that was given to the SROs, number students given long term suspensions over
the last 2 years, and the latest Memorandum of Understanding with the City
Police Department.
Superintendent
Binienda and Mr. Pezzella indicated several times that they wanted to maintain
a dialog with the community and hoped that the documents provided would help in
that dialog.
Another part
of the School to Jail Pipeline discussed was the afterschool programs at the
Worcester Public Schools. Superintendent Binienda said that these programs are
especially effective during traditionally problematic hours of 3 PM to 6 PM.
She said students not in Worcester Public Schools participates in the programs
and the program provide a service to the entire City.
The
Worcester Public Schools do not as a rule enforce Federal laws. As a rule ICE
is not allowed on School buildings or provided students’ information except by
Federal warrant or summons. With the summons the School District is given 24
hours to comply. Superintendent Binienda said that Administration would take
appropriate actions within the 24 hours compliance period.
The Schools
do not ask for or keep information regarding a student’s immigration status. Should
a student return to his home and find that his parents have been arrested by
ICE, there is program at the Schools to help the student.
When asked
about any effect of high stakes testing, both Superintendent Binienda and Mr.
Pezzella were of one mind that it was a complex issue. Neither would say that
high stakes testing had any significant adverse effect on any student’s
success.
There will be a meeting of the Massachusetts
Human Committee on July 19, 2017, 6PM at the YMCA 766 Main St. Worcester, MA
01610 to discuss and plan activities around the information we obtained from
the meeting with the School Administration.
For
information: Gordon T. Davis 508 757
5873
