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| Hear about "Boston Made" with Alan Earls |
"WITH TUESDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT by state officials that they want to see all elementary grade students back in classrooms five days a week by April, now comes the hard part of the details of how to do it.
Looming large in the challenge of getting students back into classrooms is a term that’s become part of the daily lexicon of pandemic policy debates: social distancing. Call it the elephant in the classroom.
Most public health recommendations have urged people to maintain at least six feet of separation from those not in their household. The federal Centers for Disease Control says six feet should also apply in school settings. But the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in guidelines for the school year released last June, said three feet is adequate.
The state guidelines encourage districts to “aim for six feet of distance between individuals where feasible,” but say maintaining a distance of three feet, in combination with other mitigation efforts, “is informed by evidence and balances the lower risk of COVID-19 transmission and the overarching benefits of in-person school.” The state guidelines note that this approach aligns with recommendations of the World Health Organization, which says one meter (three feet, three inches) of social distancing is adequate to reduce risk of transmitting coronavirus. "
"HOUSE LAWMAKERS spent over an hour locked in a tense debate Wednesday afternoon on an unsuccessful transparency amendment to the Legislature’s 2021-2022 joint rules before ultimately adopting a rules package to govern interactions between the two branches that strips a few elements of the Senate’s proposed reforms.
The House approved a rules package on a 128-31 vote that would keep a notice requirement for committee hearings at 72 hours, rather than the one week proposed by the Senate; make public only the names of committee members who vote against favorably reporting a bill, instead of providing a complete accounting of how all members vote, as the Senate version would; and remove Senate language which would have mandated that committees share copies of public testimony when asked by members of the public.
Most of the debate Wednesday centered on an amendment that would have made details of all committee votes public, mandated a one-week notice for committee hearings, and made public testimony on bills available to the public upon request. The House rejected the amendment on a 36-122 vote with nearly all Republicans and eight Democrats voting in favor."
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| Reminder on lobby hours at the Municipal building |
"Franklin restaurants and local people in need are both getting some community support during the pandemic as a result of a new initiative.
Through the Project Envoy campaign, residents are encouraged to patronize participating local restaurants — either through indoor dining or takeout meals. In turn, the restaurants are donating some of the proceeds from those sales to the Franklin Food Pantry.
A program of the Franklin Interfaith Council’s Food Security Team, Project Envoy began Feb. 1 and will continue through April 30. Organizers said the initiative is intended to provide a boost to local restaurants and to help families who have had difficulty meeting their food needs during COVID-19."
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| Boston Globe: "Project Envoy supports Franklin restaurants, residents in need" |
"Meet Sofia and hear how the Pantry has impacted her life:"
Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/tSD22y6CV5
Note: Sofia's name and image have been changed to protect her identity.
A PDF copy of Sofia's story: https://t.co/noiYtk717g
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| Sofia shares how the Franklin Food Pantry helps her |
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| Winter Sports Season Summary |
"For anybody who hasn’t already seen Jame’s Fredrick’s video “A Roundtable Discussion of Racism in Franklin,” it’s definitely worth a watch.The video documents a discussion organized by Diversity Awareness Club President Ndoumbe Ndoye and Town Council Member Cobi Frongillo, where many FHS students of color met together to share their experiences growing up in predominantly white Franklin.Students recounted times when they had been insulted or felt unwelcome in their community because of the color of their skin.Students have experienced both overt racism, such as use of racial slurs and hate speech, and more casual and ingrained racism."
Agenda
“The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may, in fact, be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.”
I. Electronic Distribution of Approved Policies
1. BEDB - Order of Business
2. Policy Distribution Folder
II. Discussion of Policies sent to School Committee
A. None
III. Policy Revisions & New Policies - New Discussion Item
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| Franklin Public Schools: Policy Sub Committee Meeting - Feb 25 |
"It's that time of year again! Spring is right around the corner and it's time to consider installing a rain barrel at your home. The Great American Rain Barrel Company is offering Franklin residents discounted barrels for just $69. Residents may then apply for a $50 water conservation rebate from the DPW for a total cost of only $19 (rebates are limited to two per household)!
Order before midnight on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and pick up at the DPW Admin Office (257 Fisher St, Franklin) on Wednesday, May 12, from 4-6 PM."
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| Rain barrel orders available |
"TAKING DIRECT AIM at Massachusetts school districts and teachers unions that have been reluctant to return to in-person instruction, state education commissioner Jeff Riley said he wants to use state education regulations to push districts to bring students back to the classroom.
Riley said Tuesday that he wants to see elementary grade students back in school five days a week in April, with older grades possibly to follow after that.
Adopting a much more aggressive posture than state officials have taken in a debate that has divided the education community, Riley said he’ll seek authorization to deem remote instruction not eligible to be counted toward state-required “structured learning time” hours. The proposal, unveiled Tuesday morning to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, would give Riley leverage in pushing districts back into in-person classes, something he, Education Secretary Jim Peyser, and Gov. Charlie Baker have been urging more schools to do for months. "
Today's Black History Month Video is on human rights activist, scholar, and author: Angela Davis! https://t.co/UnVfVHteZ6
Today's Black History Month Video is on human rights activist, scholar, and author: Angela Davis! pic.twitter.com/UnVfVHteZ6
— FHS A World of Difference (@Franklin_AWOD) February 23, 2021
"MBTA officials are planning to put off the release of a new, five-year capital plan until June 2022, a move that reflects the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus and also the political calculus of a governor running out of funding options for the T’s ambitious capital spending program.
It may sound like a minor issue, but good government types recommend setting out capital spending targets in five-year increments. The Government Finance Officers Association says a multi-year plan is the best way to ensure proper development and management of capital assets and send a message to contractors that the money for projects is in the pipeline. “A capital plan should cover a period of at least three years, preferably five or more,” the association says."
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| tree clearing along the Franklin Line to prepare for the PTC improvements |
"US customs agents made a surprise discovery when a sniffer dog investigated what looked to be a perfectly innocent shipment of frosted cereal, only to discover that the sugar coating was in fact a large amount of cocaine.The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Bico, a narcotic detector dog with US Customs and Border Protection, uncovered the haul of drugs in a shipment of breakfast cereal from South America that was headed to Hong Kong.“Officers found white powder and the flakes were coated in a grayish substance after the dog alerted on the shipment,” the paper reported.The value of the drug was estimated at $2.8m."
Finance Committee Meeting
a. January 13, 2021
a. Kerri Bertone, Treasurer & Christopher Sandini, Finance Director/Comptroller
a. ALS/BLS and Mileage Rate Changesb. Fire Truck Borrowing Resolution
