Schools

School Committees, Superintendent Announce 'Listening Sessions'

Monthly sessions aim to enhance public participating and access to information.

Concord School Committee members and Superintendent of Schools Diana Rigby will hold the first of three planned listening sessions this Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Ripley Administration Building.

The first session is planned for the morning, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., while the second and third will be held during the evenings, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Two School Committee members, along with Superintendent of Schools Diana Rigby, are expected to welcome the public for coffee and conversations at each of the sessions.

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The listening sessions come after a bit of a rocky stretch for Concord’s public schools and its officials, a period during which some residents railed about communication breakdowns leading to distrust of district leaders.

“The School Committee created the plan to hold monthly listening sessions at various school sites to provide the public with a forum to comment and ask questions of members of the school committees and the superintendent,” the announcement said. “This is one of several measures the school committees and superintendent are instituting to enhance public participation and access to information.”

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The CCHS building project, transportation and the Thoreau School have been hot button issues over the past few years. And the most recent flare up was last month, when Concord-Carlisle High School read a Muslim poem and neglected to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on Sept. 11.

Communication was a key point during the School Committee race this past spring, when four candidates ran four two seats. While all four candidates had their differences, each of them agreed that mistakes had been made and improving communication would be key to moving forward as a community.

Still, the Concord schools remain high performing, as evidenced by consistent top rankings and the recent report placing CCHS among Massachusetts top scoring high schools on the SAT tests last spring

The school committees and Superintendent invite Concord and Carlisle community members to join them for coffee and conversation on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 9, 9:30 to 11 a.m., Ripley #1 Conference Room
  • Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Alcott Cafeteria
  • Tuesday, Nov. 19, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Peabody Forum


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