information from the School Committee’s Special Meeting and Regular Meeting

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Sumbul Siddiqui Mayor To: Cambridge City Council From: Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor Date: June 4, 2020 Subject: Communicating information from the School Committee’s Special Meeting and Regular Meeting To the Honorable, the City Council: The School Committee held a Special Meeting last Thursday, May 28th and a Regular Meeting this past Tuesday, June 2nd. At both meetings, the School Committee and administration and heard Public Comment. I’m thankful to everyone that tuned in and signed up to provide their testimonies. We must actively dismantle the structures of systemic racism in our City and school system. Ensuring a safe and supportive school environment for our black and brown students is at the center of this work and to be successful, we must further elevate the voices of our community members. At last Thursday’s meeting, Superintendent Salim and his team gave a presentation on the work of the Office of Student Services (OSS) in distance learning for special education students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). The administration spoke to their goals of establishing systemic special education resources and engaging every student and caregiver in meaningful, regular two-way exchanges. They reported to have a system of robust engagement with students and families, which some parents say is not consistent with their own experiences. The Superintendent will survey students and families to gain a better understanding of the barriers they are facing and how OSS can support them. This past Tuesday, Superintendent Salim and Deputy Superintendent Turk provided an update on their planning for their summer. They shared 8 CPS administered programs that will be available, in what capacity, and to which students. Every program will be offered virtually during the months of July and August and registration will be live at www.cpsd.us/summer by June 12. Following this update, a number of motions were passed, including a requirement for the Superintendent and Chief of Information Services to work with the City Manager in exploring options (beyond existing Wi-Fi hotspots) to close the digital divide. Most importantly, in response to a request by the CRLS Black Student Union, we adopted a motion to raise a Black Lives Matter flag outside the CRLS building through the 20-21 school year, effective immediately. The Building & Grounds Subcommittee will convene June 5 at 12:30pm to continue the discussion on the facilities planning as a response to COVID-19.

Thank you all for your thoughtful questions and comments at the June 3 Finance Committee hearing. We passed budget that left more questions than answers and there is a lot to learn so that next year’s can be that transformative budget we were all hoping for. I look forward to working together to make sure that is possible. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or concerns. Respectfully, Sumbul Siddiqui