DALTON, Mass. — Central Berkshire Regional School Committee appointed its newest member, Sara Tucker, during its meeting last week.
Tucker will be serving as the committee's Dalton representative taking the place of the town's former representative Nicole Tucker. Although Sara and Nicole share a last name they have no relation.
Nicole Tucker decided to leave her seat early, which caused a vacancy on the committee that needed to be filled. The district put a call out for applications and received three but two dropped out.
The seat will be included in the elections in November so the community can vote who they want to have as the Dalton representative.
Sara Tucker is a supervisor for an adolescent unit at the state Department of Children and Families.
As a social worker, she has experience working with teens in the criminal justice system which the committee has not had before, committee Chair Richard Peters said.
"I'm excited actually, because obviously she has a lot of energy and a lot of really good experience and it's good to have a really great mix of people, parents, other folks who've been not in education, folks that are in education, and we have a really good blend of all of the above characters," Peters said.
"So, it really works out well and everybody on the committee is very respectful and it's just a pleasure to be on this committee, and I hope it maintains that for sure. It actually makes it really nice. So, I'm excited to have her, that's for sure."
Tucker has children in the district, one who will be going to Nessacus Regional Middle School next year and another one is involved in special education and receives Individualized Education Program services. She also is president of the Parent Teacher Organization.
"Since my kiddos started, I've been trying to figure out ways to kind of be helpful to the school system to be helpful to my children and their growth within the school system," Tucker said.
"I think she has an excellent background," Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis. "She has great ideas, great suggestions. She's very invested in all students. She has children in the district."
As the PTO president, Tucker has helped the Craneville Elementary School principal bring in more "diversity, equity inclusion" with a reading program.
The program works to increase belonging and make children feel included while also encouraging readers, especially the reluctant readers, she said. She is also working with Craneville to bring the entrepreneur fair for its fifth graders.
She has a master's degree in social work from the University of Albany in New York and a post-master's certificate working with adolescents and children that are dealing with different challenges.
"Having that experience and coming from where I'm trying to kind of fix things. I would love to be able to kind of come in here and help create more positive change for our kids and our staff," Tucker said.
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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan
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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