To the Editor,
We are a group of Watertown caregivers and community members writing to raise urgent awareness about an active community petition concerning the experiences of students with disabilities in Watertown Public Schools.
Families across the district have repeatedly raised concerns regarding access to appropriate special education services, consistency of implementation, communication with families, and meaningful inclusion in decision-making processes. These concerns reflect sustained experiences shared by multiple families over many years and warrant serious public attention.
In response, a community petition was created calling for the School Committee to place on its agenda a public discussion and action on a Vote of No Confidence for the Director of Student Services. This petition remains open and active. To date, more than 260 signatures have been collected. A second batch of signatories will be submitted at the June 22 School Committee meeting.
Many concerns have been raised in public forum during recent meetings of the Watertown Public Schools School Committee. At the June 1 meeting, public comment from nearly a dozen community members highlighted issues around communication, transparency, and legally mandated procedures. These comments begin approximately 45 minutes into the recorded meeting.
For those who wish to review the public comments, the recording is available here:
June 1 School Committee Meeting: http://vodwcatv.org/internetchannel/show/4592?site=2
The petition can be viewed and signed here:
Community Petition: https://forms.gle/KZcbnMbMu1PQUfVt6
These concerns have been repeatedly raised in formal settings, official correspondences to the School Committee, and through sustained family advocacy. Despite this, multiple families continue to report ongoing challenges related to communication, inconsistent processes, lack of meaningful participation, and administrative gatekeeping of services. These same concerns and more were documented in the January 2026 independent Special Education Program Review conducted by AthenaK12. Access to this report and additional sources of data are hyperlinked within the online community petition.
We encourage all residents who have not yet reviewed the petition or the public comments to take the time to do so, and to consider adding their voices in support of ensuring these concerns are fully heard and addressed.
Respectfully submitted,
Watertown Special Education Alliance
Additional updates and information can be found here:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JT7mwtpy9/?mibextid=wwXIfr