Government

Council Joins Effort to Prevent Racial Harassment in Watertown Schools & Beyond

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Watertown Town Hall

The Town Council will begin looking at ways to help the Watertown Public Schools address racial harassment and bullying following reports made a middle school student about her experiences at Watertown Middle School. At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Council voted to start discussions about how they could help the Schools with racism issues. Also at the meeting, the Council adopted a proclamation opposing racism and bulling in Watertown. The School Administration and School Committee will take the lead on how to deal with racial harassment, said Town Council President Mark Sideris, who is also a member of the School Committee. Superintendent Dede Galdston announced she will be putting together a a citizens advisory board which will include parents of children who have been harassed, Sideris said.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Girls Joining the Club

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A photo of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club founders, including Bernadette Corbett (in white), who pushed the national headquarters of the Boys Club to allow girls. The following piece was provided by the Watertown Boys & Girls Club:

Forty years ago, the Board of Directors of the Watertown Boys Club made the landmark decision to welcome girls into the Club, making Watertown one of the nation’s first communities to offer membership to females. In 1980, Clubs across the country were open only to boys, and the national organization of Boys’ Clubs was still 10 years away from renaming itself Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Watertown Boys Club, which was founded eight years earlier in 1972, had a woman director who wasn’t about to wait to bring girls into the Club. Bernadette Corbett, one of the Club’s founders and the first woman Board president, was the force behind including female members.

Bullying

Residents Call for Action to Stop Racial Harassment in Watertown Schools During Forum

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The 150-plus people who attended Superintendent Dede Galdston’s forum on racial harassment and bullying last week heard from the girl who brought the issue to the forefront, and other attendees called for action to make sure such incidents do not occur in the future. Galdston scheduled the Dec. 3 forum after a Watertown Middle School student named Lialah spoke to Fox 25 News about her experience of being called the N-word at school and being harassed by classmates on social media and on the phone. Harassment Reports

The 13-year-old spoke during the forum, and said that she does not trust the teachers and administrators at the middle school after she reported her experiences and said no action was taken, and people at the school denied her reports. “Why are people spreading misinformation.

Around Town

Watertown Remembers Pearl Harbor Attack on 79th Anniversary

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Trumpeter Alan Mannarino plays Taps during the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at the Watertown Square Dock. The annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony in Watertown Square drew a couple dozen attendees on Monday morning, despite COVID-19 social distancing requirements. The ceremony marked the 79th anniversary of the attack that drew the United States into World War II. The Town has a special link to Dec. 7, 1941, Veterans Services Officer Patrick George reminded those on hand, and tuning in on Facebook Live.

Arrests

Police Log: Man Spits in Officer’s Face, False Warrant Scam

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The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

Nov. 26, 12:46 a.m.: An officer pulled into the 7-Eleven parking lot and saw a car sitting on the side of the building not in a designated parking spot. The officer saw two men in the vehicle and noticed a number of items in the back seat, including what appeared to be the stock of a rifle. The officer asked the driver and passenger to step out of the vehicle, and it was determined the stock was to a BB gun.

Around Town

Watertown Dental Office Becomes a Father and Son Practice

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The D’Amicos: Andrew, Chris, Dan and Daniel. Dan started D’Amico Dental Care in Watertown in 1993, and his son Chris joined recently. Daniel will do so, too, after graduating from Tufts Dental School. A Watertown dentist’s office is now a family affair, after the offspring of the founder joined the practice. Dan D’Amico started D’Amico Dental Care in 1993, after working for a father and son dental practice in Revere.

311 Number

Other Town Charters Looked to for Inspiration for Charter Review Committee

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Looking for ways to improve the way Watertown’s municipal government works, the Charter Review Committee looked at other cities and towns for new ideas. They also debated mayor vs. town manager, and ways to communicate with residents. Committee members looked for ways to address some of their biggest issues with the way Watertown’s government operates, including transparency, communication with residents and accountability. Specifically, some complained that it is unclear how residents can report a problem and get it addressed.

Schools

Watertown Schools to Conduct Outside Review of Bullying & Discipline Policies After Racially-Motivated Incident

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The Watertown Public Schools hired outside experts to review the district’s bullying and disciplinary policies following a student’s report of racially-motivated bullying. In November, a 13-year-old girl who attends Watertown Middle School reported being harassed online and by phone after putting up posts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In another response to the incident, the Watertown schools will host a community forum to discuss racism and bullying in the Watertown Schools on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. The public can join the form, which is being held virtually on Zoom, by using this link: https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/94875621016

Superintendent Dede Galdston said the decision to have a review of how the district handles bullying, and specifically racially-motivated incidents, was made after hearing about the experience of Watertown Middle School student. “Recent events have given me significant pause, and while I do not believe the Watertown Public Schools is alone in responding to acts of hate and racism, it is simply not enough to say ‘we did our best’ or ‘we followed our usual policies,’ We must be willing to review our practices and procedures,” Galdston said.