DESE Office of School Monitoring to Visit MGRSD

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — During the week of May 13, 2024, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Mount Greylock Regional School District. 
 
The Office of Public School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students.
 
In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from the Office of Public School Monitoring will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child's special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, the Office of Public School Monitoring will interview the chairperson(s) of the district's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations.
 
Parents and other individuals may call Michelle Hennessey-Kowalchek, Public School Monitoring Chairperson, at (413) 314-6709 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.
 
Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the district with a report with information about areas in which the district meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the district requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report at http://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports/.
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Williamstown Looks to Start Riverbank Stabilization Projects in FY27

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Town Hall is hoping to make progress on four riverfront infrastructure projects in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
 
Town Manager Robert Menicocci told the Finance Committee this month that the town is working with state agencies to develop riverbank stabilization plans while also pursuing help with the cost of that work.
 
Menicocci characterized two of the projects as small: the stabilization of banks on the Green River and Hoosic River related to small landfills.
 
The other two projects are further downriver from the former landfill site: near the junction of Syndicate Road and North Street (Route 7) and further downriver near the Hoosic Water Quality District's water treatment plant.
 
The North Street site has been top of mind for the town since December 2019, when a Christmas Eve storm brought about the loss of a large piece of the river bank and threatened to expose a sewer main line.
 
Menicocci explained that a final solution for the site — which has been before the town's Conservation Commission several times in the last six years — has been held up by discussions among state regulators.
 
"What we know at the moment is on the Hoosic River, especially, the state is looking for us to stabilize the situation before we even get to the long-term solution," Menicocci said. "We are battling with them because the part of the state that regulates the landfill is like, 'You've got to do this, and you've got to do it yesterday.' And then, the other side of the same agency looks at environmental protection and says, 'You know what, you've got a couple of things in the river there, some grass and some turtles. You can't do anything.'
 
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