Central Berkshire Officials Consider School Resource Officer Grant

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:22AM / Friday, May 05, 2023Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — Central Berkshire Regional School Committee has voted to send a letter of support for a school resource officer grant.

A number of committee members had been hesitant to approve adding a school resource officer, saying that there are too many unknown variables and that they need to take more time to null it over.

This vote does not approve adding an officer at Wahconah Regional High School; rather, due to the time restriction for the application, it only approves sending a letter to go along with the town's grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Police Services program.

Police Chief Deanna Strout agreed that there are still a lot of aspects regarding this change that would need to be discussed and clarified that the committee's decision to send a letter could improve the chances of getting the grant.

She has already received a letter of support from the Dalton Select Board and St. Agnes' School.

The town's chances for the federal grant is slim, but if it comes through, the district and Police Department together would determine whether adding a school resource officer is the best thing to do, Strout said.

The district has 90 days to come up with a memorandum of understanding after being selected for the grant.

Some committee members asked where the money would go if they rejected the idea.

If that were to happen, the town could turn down the grant or put a school resource officer in St. Agnes' School, since it did express an interest in having one.

"We don't want to give anyone here the impression that we're trying to force our way into the schools at all. If this isn't something that we all think is a great idea, I respect that," Strout said.

Even if the district doesn't come up with an MOU, Select Board Chair Joe Diver said he is prepared to bring it back to the board to see how the town can leverage the grant with other private schools or juvenile programs in Dalton.

"The board completely supports the chief strategy on this, especially when you look at some of the statistics from [Sept. 1] last year to current. That's what got our attention is that there are some juvenile issues in the town of Dalton that could filter into the schools or vice versa," Diver said.

Tags: CBRSD, Dalton Police,

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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