Updated on February 3, 2021 at 7:12 pm
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
A new initiative that will provide a sort of mental health lifeline for some Massachusetts students, teachers and school administrators kicks off this week.
The Mental Health in Schools initiative is a partnership between human development organization Open Sky Community Services, Worcester Public Schools and districts in 20 other communities across the commonwealth.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge that this pandemic really has been a traumatic experience for all of us on some level,” said Suzy Langevin, director of training and professional development for Open Sky Community Services.
Through the initiative, Open Sky is facilitating a series of workshops to provide evidence-based training to help schools better support student mental health, through individual development and district-wide interventions. The first will be held Friday.
COVID vaccine hesitancy exists, particularly among Black, Latinx communities; Here’s how UMass Memorial is helping patients make a decision
Updated Jan 31, 2021;
For some Central Massachusetts residents, weighing whether or not to get a COVID-19 vaccine has led to extensive reading and conversations about potential side effects, efficacy and the rapid speed at which the immunizations were developed, according to physicians who are working to help patients make an informed decision.
These questions can be a particular concern of the Black and Latinx communities because of a history of injustices in health care. Physicians note that hesitancy in vaccine trust exists for good reasons among Black and Latinx Americans, the Tuskegee study a chief example.
Trust between Worcester’s Latinx community and public schools must be rebuilt to improve outcomes for students, families, report finds
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
For Latinx families and students to thrive in Worcester, there must be accountability and rebuilt trust between the community and the Worcester Public Schools, officials said.
Leaders in Worcester have spent more than a year analyzing data and the community to make recommendations to improve achievement for Latinx residents, who make up about 21% of Worcester’s population and 43% of students enrolled in the Worcester Public Schools.
In an effort to respond to concerns about Worcester’s Latinx community, Mayor Joe Petty tapped Quinsigamond Community College President Luis Pedraja and Mary Jo Marion, the assistant vice president for urban affairs and the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University, to head up the Commission on Latino Advancement and Education, which led to a newly-released report on the way
New Worcester Branch NAACP president Fred Taylor promises commitment to addressing systemic racism in Worcester
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
The Worcester Branch NAACP has announced Fred Taylor as the organization’s new president.
In a statement, Taylor promised his commitment to the Branch’s continued efforts to address systemic racism in the Worcester Police Department, to remove police officers from the Worcester Public Schools and increase Black political representative in the city.
“I understand this will not be easy,” Taylor wrote in his incoming statement. “I am humbled by the support expressed by many people in the community. Our unity is so important in this time when a light has been shined on the injustices Black people face in this country.”