Pittsfield Man Sentenced on Child Sexual Assault Charges

08:04AM / Thursday, February 22, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Lochan Kissoon, age 68, pleaded guilty to two counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14.

Kissoon was sentenced in Berkshire Superior Court by Judge Agostini. He was sentenced to 2 years in the House of Corrections. Upon release, Kissoon is ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 16 and to register as a sex offender.

He was charged in connection to a June 2021 incident when he sexually assaulted a minor. The incident took place in his apartment.

Chief of the Child Abuse Unit, Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Ilberg represented the Commonwealth. Victim Witness Advocate Kristen Rapkowicz served on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office

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Central Berkshire Navigating AI in Education

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:59AM / Monday, December 29, 2025

DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District is researching artificial intelligence in education to inform future policy and practice.

"Our ultimate goal is to at least to have some common expectations that we can rally around first," Assistant Superintendent Aaron Robb said at December's School Committee meeting.

In September, Robb established an AI ad hoc committee made up of teachers, a student, the IT director, and a School Committee member. The committee has been trying to meet twice a month, he said.

It is charged with researching the challenges and opportunities AI presents in education to help the district navigate the "AI revolution."

Throughout the process, the committee will get guidance from Fadia Rostom-Makdisi, computer scientist, AI educational adviser, and former principal of St. Agnes' School.

"She's gone off on her own as a consultant and she's doing some consulting work with schools around AI and she's been doing some, as we've just been calling it, 'AI 101' training in our district," Robb said.

During the November professional development days, almost 100 district staff and faculty received a three-hour basic AI training from Rostom-Makdisi which covered the how and what of AI and several commonly used AI tools in education.

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