Annual Family Fun Day on August 28. Join us!!

    The BPON family wants to invite you to enjoy our Second Annual Family Fun Day at the Boys and Girls Club on Blue Hill and Talbot Ave, next Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 12:30-6pm.  Bring your family for an afternoon of games, good food, raffles and prices, performances and much more.

    The fight for quality education has no rest, but we have to take some time off to enjoy each other and share as a family of parent leaders and activists.  If you have any questions, call our office at 617-522-2766.  See you next Saturday.

    The BPON family wants to invite you to enjoy our Second Annual Family Fun Day at the Boys and Girls Club on Blue Hill and Talbot Ave, next Saturday, August 28, 2010 from 12:30-6pm.  Bring your family for an afternoon of games, good food, raffles and prices, performances and much more.

    The fight for quality education has no rest, but we have to take some time off to enjoy each other and share as a family of parent leaders and activists.  If you have any questions, call our office at 617-522-2766.  See you next Saturday.

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    BPON's Journey of Accomplishments for School Year 2010

    School Year 2009-2010 has provided many opportunities for parents to provide input and recommendations for improving several Boston Public Schools (BPS) policies.  The BPON Task Force successfully influenced the Boston School Committee to create, improve and/or eliminate several school policies. We want to thank all the parent members who actively participated in school actions, activities and events over the last school year. 

    We also want to thank our funders, supporters and allies for believing in our mission and for encouraging us to succeed. Finally, we want to thank the Boston School Committee and the Office of Family and Student Engagement for their efforts to build partnerships with BPON in a cooperative and respectful way.

    School Year 2009-2010 has provided many opportunities for parents to provide input and recommendations for improving several Boston Public Schools (BPS) policies.  The BPON Task Force successfully influenced the Boston School Committee to create, improve and/or eliminate several school policies. We want to thank all the parent members who actively participated in school actions, activities and events over the last school year. 

    We also want to thank our funders, supporters and allies for believing in our mission and for encouraging us to succeed. Finally, we want to thank the Boston School Committee and the Office of Family and Student Engagement for their efforts to build partnerships with BPON in a cooperative and respectful way.

     On Special Education, BPON parents:

    -         Successfully advocated for new leadership for the SPED department

    -         Successfully advocated for the implementation of a new IEP

    -         Worked in coalition with SPEDPAC and other advocacy groups to summarize and submit recommendations from the Council for Great City Schools Report and have accepted the invitation from the new SPED leadership to participate in the recently formed Task Forces

    On the BPS Budget, BPON parents and students

    -         Successfully advocated to eliminate the proposal to cut MBTA passes for high school students

    On the BPS Code of Discipline, BPON parents

    -         Submitted recommendations to the district on revising the Code of Discipline and submitted a proposal for the creation of an Advisory Council to monitor implementation of the new Code of Conduct.  This represents a new era in parental and student participation and advocacy on issues related to Discipline as this Advisory Council is the first of its kind in the state.

    On the upcoming BTU Contract Negotiations, BPON

    -         Played a key role in providing the first public platform for BPS Superintendent, BTU President, parent and student representatives to discuss their priorities for the contract at a community forum in the spring

    -         Is playing a key role as a member of the Boston United for Students Coalition that seeks to promote the voices of parents, students, community and business leaders in the development of the new BTU contract  

    This year presented many opportunities for BPON leaders to work in collaboration with the district, from every session of Parent University where many of our leaders learned valuable skills and our staff partnered as trainers for several sessions; to educating BPON members on the need to advocate for the passing of the Education Reform Act; to the recent partnership with the district to recruit parents and facilitate some of the Community Dialogues on the redesign and reinvestment efforts for the district.  Our intergenerational work has taken off and we have parents and students working together on issues related to Drop Out Prevention, Code of Conduct and the New BTU contract in collaboration with the YOUNG Coalition and other youth groups.

    Please join me in congratulating our members and encouraging them to keep on pushing for a better world and for better educational opportunities for all students.

    Thank You.

    Myriam Ortiz

     

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    Victory for Parents and Students - New Code of Conduct for BPS to be voted on June 30

    For over a year, BPON parents were active in the process of revising the current BPS Code of Discipline as part of the action agenda of the BPON Task Force Code of Discipline Committee.  On Wednesday, June 16, Sam De Pina, Assistant Chief Operating Officer for BPS, presented to the School Committee the new Code of Conduct for the district.  If approved by the School Committee on June 30,

    implementation of the new Code will begin in September of 2010.  This is a significant victory for the BPON Task Force given that all our recommendations for the new Code were incorporated including our suggestion to create an advisory council to monitor implementation of the new code.

    For over a year, BPON parents were active in the process of revising the current BPS Code of Discipline as part of the action agenda of the BPON Task Force Code of Discipline Committee.  On Wednesday, June 16, Sam De Pina, Assistant Chief Operating Officer for BPS, presented to the School Committee the new Code of Conduct for the district.  If approved by the School Committee on June 30,

    implementation of the new Code will begin in September of 2010.  This is a significant victory for the BPON Task Force given that all our recommendations for the new Code were incorporated including our suggestion to create an advisory council to monitor implementation of the new code.

    The Code of Conduct advisory council will be the first of its kind for the district and the state of Massachusetts.  BPON will continue to work in partnership with the district to design the council and to structure its operations.  A meeting will be scheduled in the near future to begin discussion around implementation as well as professional development for the district's staff, students and community.

    We want to congratulate the members of the BPON Task Force Code of Discipline Committee for their diligence and commitment to follow through with their vision of improving the district's capacity to provide equity and access to all students in an inclusive and respectful way.  Join us on June 30 for the final vote at the School Committee Meeting - 6pm at 26 Court St.

     

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    BPON Delegation Attends National Meeting in DC

    A delegation of BPON leaders and staff joined other 500+ participants from cities across the nation at an important meeting in the Department of Education in Washington DC on May 26.  Following up from the meeting held with Alberto Retana, Director of Outreach and Communications from the US DOE, BPON parents and a student representative attended the convening!!

    The meeting started at 11am with the testimony of several parents who commented on the Blueprint for School Reform that DOE drafted earlier this year.  Ida Short, a parent leader from Detroit offered very specific recommendations to improve the resources of public schools such as having DOE provide guidance to school districts on how to apply for federal grants to access funds for schools.  Ms. Short also commented on the need to change the language of the blueprint to reflect more parental engagement.  According to Ms. Short, in the current draft teachers are mentioned 56 times, principals are mentioned 42 times and parents are mentioned only 5 times.

    A delegation of BPON leaders and staff joined other 500+ participants from cities across the nation at an important meeting in the Department of Education in Washington DC on May 26.  Following up from the meeting held with Alberto Retana, Director of Outreach and Communications from the US DOE, BPON parents and a student representative attended the convening!!

    The meeting started at 11am with the testimony of several parents who commented on the Blueprint for School Reform that DOE drafted earlier this year.  Ida Short, a parent leader from Detroit offered very specific recommendations to improve the resources of public schools such as having DOE provide guidance to school districts on how to apply for federal grants to access funds for schools.  Ms. Short also commented on the need to change the language of the blueprint to reflect more parental engagement.  According to Ms. Short, in the current draft teachers are mentioned 56 times, principals are mentioned 42 times and parents are mentioned only 5 times.

    The testimonies were followed by a very informative panel of DOE officials who answered many questions from parents in the audience.  The staff from the Office of Civil Rights offered a lot of information about the recent efforts to improve equity and compliance among school districts across the country.  Within the last 3 weeks alone, 21 compliance reviews for discrimination had been filed.  When any of the 12 regional offices receive a complaint from parents, students or any interested party of any school district, they have to investigate the matter.  Therefore all parents in the audience were encouraged to file complaints if they felt that their children's civil rights were violated.  The panel concluded by thanking the participants for offering many specific recommendations to improve the Blueprint and encouraged us to come back after revisions get incorporated.

    After a brief break for lunch, the afternoon served as a strategy session for all the parents who attended the meeting to discuss next steps.  Considering that the organizers of the convening only spent 6 weeks in mobilizing 500 parents (an unprescendented event over the last 9 years), everyone agreed that it must be done again.  Stay tuned for the next round of actions steps coming soon!!

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