BArT Awarded Grant Funding to Address Hate Crime Prevention

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ADAMS, Mass. — Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School (BArT) has been selected for the Healey-Driscoll Administration's program to prevent hate crimes and reduce incidences of bias in schools.
 
"We want to make sure that students know that in Massachusetts, they are all welcome at school and supported by our incredible educators and staff. The Hate Crimes Prevention Grants provide our local schools with the resources and tools to prevent hate and create safe environments for students and their families," said Governor Healey.
 
BART has received $40,000 to help strengthen their ongoing work to foster a safe, inclusive, and respectful school community. It will support specialized training for staff and continued funding for the DEIB office. It enables the school to further invest in evidence-based curriculum and diverse library resources, expand student programs, and bring in speakers who reflect a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Together, these efforts will deepen belonging, promote understanding, and help prevent hate and bias in schools and across the region.
 
"Our students have the right to feel safe and secure at school. These grants will help protect our school environments from hate and ensure that students are in the best environment to learn," said Representative Ken Gordon, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Education.

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Adams Police Bringing Dated Policies Up to Standard

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen approved a raft of Police Department policy changes on Wednesday. 
 
Acting Police Chief Timothy Sorrell presented the updates, noting that some hadn't been touched in 20 years. These new policies are in line with the standards of the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and changes made by the state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.
 
"What we did is, instead of reinventing the wheel, I think when I first stood me before you, when I came on as the acting chief, we talked about getting policies from other departments, and there was a town in South County who became accredited, and they were more than willing to share with us their accredited policies," he said. 
 
Detective Michael Wandrei, Officer Travis Cunningham and the chief reviewed the policies and brought them to officers with specialized training in those areas. 
 
"We discussed, how does this fit into Adams? And some of it was just changing that town's name to the Adams name," he said. "So we just had to tweak it to what fit Adams is what we ended up doing ... It doesn't make us accredited, but we're a step closer, maybe when we get all these policies in line."
 
Policies reviewed included use of force; vehicular pursuits; detainee processing; protective custody; police media relations; body-worn cameras; collection and preservation of evidence; and property and evidence control.
 
More than a few of the updates related to new techniques, equipment and methods that have changed in the 15 or 20 years. 
 
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