Mount Greylock Investigating 'Language' Incident at Middle/High School

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock Regional School officials are investigating a Tuesday incident involving "language used by an adult in the building."
 
Superintendent Jason McCandless on Wednesday afternoon sent an email to families in the district to notify them that the middle/high school administration is aware of the incident and "undertook appropriate actions to protect the safety and rights of all involved."
 
McCandless' email to the school community noted that the incident has prompted conversations in the district's communities over the last day.
 
In response to an inquiry from iBerkshires.com, McCandless declined to give any more details about the incident, including the nature of the language in question, whether students were present at the time it was used or whether the adult in question was a district employee or visitor to the middle/high school.
 
McCandless said in an email replying to a request for comment that the district needs to "protect the processes we need to run."
 
In his email blast to the school community, the second-year superintendent acknowledged the difficulty in maintaining transparency about such incidents.
 
"I am very aware that some of my approaches to being communicative in the past have perhaps caused as much harm in the community and for individuals as they caused good," McCandless wrote. "I apologize for this. Nonetheless, it is vital to acknowledge issues, as that’s the only way to address them."

Tags: MGRS,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williamstown Board of Health Looks to Regulate Nitrous Oxide Sales

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health last week agreed to look into drafting a local ordinance that would regulate the sale of nitrous oxide.
 
Resident Danielle Luchi raised the issue, telling the board she recently learned a local retailer was selling large containers of the compound, which has legitimate medical and culinary uses but also is used as a recreational drug.
 
The nitrous oxide (N2O) canisters are widely marketed as "whippets," a reference to the compound's use in creating whipped cream. Also called "laughing gas" for its medical use for pain relief and sedation, N2O is also used recreationally — and illegally — to achieve feelings of euphoria and relaxation, sometimes with tragic consequences.
 
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year found that, "from 2010 to 2023, there was a total of 1,240 deaths attributable to nitrous oxide poisoning among people aged 15 to 74 years in the U.S."
 
"Nitrous oxide is a drug," Luchi told the board at its Tuesday morning meeting. "Kids are getting high from it. They're dying in their cars."
 
To combat the issue, the city of Northampton passed an ordinance that went into effect in June of this year.
 
"Under the new policy … the sale of [nitrous oxide] is prohibited in all retail establishments in Northampton, with the exception of licensed kitchen supply stores and medical supply stores," according to Northampton's website. "The regulation also limits sales to individuals 21 years of age and older and requires businesses to verify age using a valid government-issued photo ID."
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories