COVID-19

See When Watertown Elementary Students Will be Returning to School Full-Time

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Elementary school students in Watertown will return to school five days a week beginning April 5, and middle and high schoolers will follow at dates to be determined, Superintendent Dede Galdston announced Tuesday. The State Eduction Board voted to give Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Riley the authority to reopen schools for in-person learning on March 5. Galdston said plans for Watertown Middle School and Watertown High School students will be “determined in the coming days.” According to the state’s guidance, middle schools are supposed to return by April 28. No date was given for high schools, but the state will give districts notice of the return date at least two weeks ahead.

ALS TDI

Non-Profit Biotech Brings its ALS Research to Watertown

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A scientist working on a treatment for ALS at one of Watertown’s newest biotechs — ALS Therapy Development Institute. One of the Kendall Square biotech transplants to Watertown brings its unusual business model to Town, and plans to invite in the public to see what they are about when the pandemic is over. The ALS Therapy Development Institute, or ALS TDI, seeks to find treatments for ALS, which is also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Unlike most life science firms, ALS TDI is a non-profit biotech, supported by donors, said Carol Hamilton, Senior Director of Development. “We are the first and, as far as I know, still only non-profit biotech.

Buses

Bus Service on Multiple MBTA Routes in Watertown to be Decreased

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An MBTA bus in Watertown. Several bus routes serving Watertown will see service decreased by the MBTA beginning on March 14. Among the routes affected by the service reduction are the 71 and 73 buses. The 70 and 57 buses will see increases at some times of day and decreases at other times. The Red, Green and Orange subway lines will also see significant reduction in frequency.

Police/Fire

Middle School Video: Statements from Teacher, School Officials & Police Union

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Watertown Middle School

The showing of a video to a group of Watertown Middle School students caused an uproar in Town. The video is being called anti-police and misleading, with some calling for the teacher who showed it to be disciplined or fired. The video, which was created by MTV, was not sanctioned by Watertown School officials before it was shown during Community Meeting at WMS in February. Superintendent Dede Galdston said that she cannot share details of a personnel matter, that the Watertown Public School officials are looking into the incident. “While personnel matters cannot be shared publicly, please know that District leadership will address this incident directly in a way that is consistent with School Committee policies and procedures,” Galdston wrote in a statement released Saturday.

Police/Fire

Superintendent Responds to Anti-Police Video Shown at Middle School

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Watertown Middle School

Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston sent a letter on Saturday about the showing of a video with an anti-police bias to a class at Watertown Middle School in February. The video came to light last week on the Turtle Boy website. Follow Watertown News this week for more coverage. The following is the text of Galdston’s letter:

Good evening, WPS Parents, Guardians, Faculty, and Staff:

I recently became aware of an incident that occurred in a Watertown Middle School Community Meeting in which students were shown a video with a strong anti-police sentiment. The video, along with the follow-up discussion, did damage to our school and community, was hurtful to students and families; for that, we are deeply sorry.

Schools

New High School Design Fits on Current Site; Would Cost Less & be Finished Sooner

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A rendering of what the new Watertown High School could look like. The view is from Common Street. Architects unveiled a new concept for the new Watertown High School that would keep the school in one building located on its current site. It would also be cheaper and would have a shorter construction period. The new plans would include building a temporary campus, likely next to Watertown Middle School.

Government

Charter Review Proposal: Work on Current Government Now, Do Deeper Dive in a Few Years

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Watertown Town Hall

The Charter Review Committee was given something to think about at the end of Tuesday’s meeting: a proposal to look at changes to the current form of government this year, but hold the next review a few years down the road to allow for an in-depth look at whether Watertown should make major changes to its government. The question was posed by Michael Ward, one of the Town’s consultants from the Collins Center at UMass Boston. He also put out the idea of removing the Town Council from the next Charter Review Committee. Town Council President Mark Sideris, who chairs the Charter Review Committee, said there would be no discussion of the proposal on Tuesday, but wanted the Committee members to have time to think about the proposal so they could discuss it at the next meeting on March 16. In the proposal, Ward suggested that the next Charter Review be held in four years (or possibly three or five) rather than waiting another 10 years.