The Aspire Project

I contributed to a project by The Daily Hampshire Gazette and WHMP called the Aspire Project.  The Editor wrote, "South Hadley Selectman and native Bob Judge reflects on his immigrant roots, and the unfriendly welcome received by Irish immigrant Phoebe Prince--and why it is so unlike the reality that exists in modern day South Hadley."

"A Wish for a More Welcoming Shore" - Audio

"A Wish for a More Welcoming Shore" - Text

Anti-bullying recommendations hailed in South Hadley

 Wednesday, June 23, 2010

SOUTH HADLEY - South Hadley School Superintendent Gus Sayer believes four months of work by a special school/community task force has given the district "a real big jump" on efforts to prevent bullying in public schools.

In presenting the final report of the town's Anti-Bullying Task Force to the School Committee Wednesday night, Sayer lauded the "extraordinary" efforts of the group, which began meeting in February, following the bullying-related death of South Hadley High School freshman Phoebe Prince.

"I've never worked with such a large group over such a sustained period," said Sayer, who faced criticism in some quarters for the way the district handled bullying incidents that preceded Prince's death. "Over 100 people came out week after week to work on this report. Everybody really wanted to do right by the schools and really put their heart into this effort."

School Committee members will hold a special meeting June 30 to vote on the task force recommendations for bringing district policies into line with the state's new anti-bullying law. The group's final report also proposes new bullying prevention strategies for South Hadley schools.

Key recommendations include:

 · expanding the district's anti-bullying program beyond the ninth grade, where it now ends, and boosting anti-bullying education at all grade levels;

 · establishing a new anonymous reporting system for bullying incidents and a requirement that school administrators investigate such incidents within one school day of being notified;

 · adopting a "Community Code of Conduct" emphasizing respect and tolerance that will be posted in all public buildings in South Hadley;

 · reconvening the task force's 29-member steering committee, made up of teachers, administrators, parents, community leaders and municipal officials, to monitor implementation of new anti-bullying policies.

The report defines bullying as repeated use of "written, verbal or electronic expression," physical acts or "deliberate acts of exclusion" that cause physical or emotional harm. It prohibits bullying that takes place on school grounds or off, if those incidents contribute to a "hostile environment" at school or disrupt the educational process.

School Committee Chairwoman JoAnn Jordan questioned how school leaders can enforce rules about bullying incidents that don't occur on school property.

High school Principal Dan Smith, a member of the task force, responded that the language in the prohibition section comes from the state's new anti-bullying law. "It simply means that if incidents are reported here to us in school, even if they happen outside of school, we can add that together" in deciding how to respond, he said.

Sayer emphasized that the work of the task force - and the school district - on the bullying issue is far from over. Over the summer, school administrators will be developing a specific plan to address bullying, as required by the state's new law - deciding on anti-bullying curricula and developing ways to evaluate the effectiveness of the new anti-bullying policies.

"But we have a real big jump on other communities because of the work of this task force," he added.

South Hadley Selectboard Vice Chairman Bob Judge was one of several task force members who attended Tuesday's School Committee meeting. For him, the most important part of the group's work is its focus on involving the broader community in preventing bullying.

"How does the community of South Hadley take this report and adopt it for the town?" Judge said. "That's what I'm most interested in."

"Localocracy is coming to South Hadley"

Friday, June 11, 2010
 
Localocracy is coming to South Hadley. The online website, which provides a public forum for residents to discuss issues facing their hometown, was recently endorsed by the Selectboard and is in the process of trying to gather enough participants to launch a test site before opening operations to the entire community.

The website, founded by Conor White-Sullivan and Aaron Soules, both students at the University of Massachusetts, was launched earlier this year in Amherst after the pair received a $10,000 Innovation Challenge grant from the university. The group's expansion into South Hadley comes after the duo received a second Innovation Challenge grant - this time totaling $12,500.

"Localocracy is a site where registered voters can vote on real issues and rank the best reasons for supporting their side," White-Sullivan said. "It is a platform for the entire community where everyone can see both sides of the issue."

The organization decided to establish a South Hadley site at the request of the town, which was looking for a way to promote respectful dialogue following the suicide of South Hadley High School freshman Phoebe Prince in January, White-Sullivan said.

"I was attracted to the feature that requires each person to identify themselves by name," Selectboard Vice Chairman Bob Judge said. He argued that websites and blogs where readers can post anonymous comments have poisoned debate in South Hadley.

"Anybody who is going to put their name out there, I would hope, will think about what they say: Do I want to call someone stupid or lay blame, for instance."

Localocracy is looking for 50 members of the community to participate in a test site that will help determine how the South Hadley site will be run, White-Sullivan said. Once that process is complete, a public site will be established for the entire community.

On the organization's Amherst site, a particular subject of debate is posted. Users then write their comments about that issue, and other users rank those comments according to how much they agree with them. The most popular comments appear at the top of the page.

"This is just another vehicle of communication, and the more vehicles the better," said Judge.
Individuals interested in participating in the project can contact contact@localocracy.org or selectboard@southhadley.org. The organization is online at www.localocracy.org.

###

Suicide attempts rise on Cape Cod

Suicide attempts rise on Cape Cod - Cape Cod, MA - Wicked Local - Cape Cod

Selectboard Seeks Opinions through "Localocracy”

June, 2, 2010
South Hadley, MA--- The South Hadley Selectboard has endorsed an experiment to obtain opinions from residents.

Selectboard Chair John Hine announced that at its May 18 meeting, the Board endorsed a trial of http://localocracy.org for South Hadley.

According to Vice-Chair Robert Judge, the website drew a story on local public radio and has been endorsed by the Amherst Town Manager and State Senator Stan Rosenberg.

The founders of Localocracy, Conor White-Sullivan and Aaron Soules, presented the idea to the S. Hadley Selectboard at the May meeting.  “There appeared to be a consensus on the Board and in the audience that we should take the next step,” said Hine.  That next step is to get at least 50 S. Hadley residents with an email address to agree to participate in the trial or “beta,” as it is known. 

According to White-Sullivan, "We want to create a way not just to distribute ideas but to allow citizens to find the best ideas and have a voice themselves." The idea is to set up a nonpartisan site that poses questions on local issues and accepts opinions from readers. But unlike some blogs and local Web sites, those responders must use their real names and be residents of the town. Participants will be able to rank others' ideas so that viewers can tell which arguments other readers have found persuasive.

Judge said, “On the internet, most people would prefer a place where they can know they are interacting with people who have a real stake in their community, and not an anonymous screen name representing someone who may not live here.”

The Amherst site can be viewed at http://localocracy.com Any South Hadley resident who would like to participate in the South Hadley trial should send an email to Selectboard@SouthHadley.org.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: South Hadley nears code of conduct

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: South Hadley nears code of conduct
by Chad Cain

SOUTH HADLEY - The town is on the verge of adopting a new code of conduct, a step that members of an anti-bullying task force view as one of its most important initiatives in the aftermath of an alleged bullying-related suicide.

The code, crafted by a Community Programs subgroup of the Anti-Bullying Task Force, would be prominently displayed at various public places for residents and visitors to see. It reads, "I will respect myself and my community by acting with responsibility, courtesy, integrity, and kindness."

The code further asks people to follow several basic guidelines that spell out the word "respect." Those guidelines include respond with integrity and kindness, embrace diversity, stand up courageously for others, promote a climate of safety, eliminate hurtful words and rumors, care for and listen to others with compassion and take responsibility for your actions.

South Hadley High School teachers Amy Foley and Tina Lesniak presented the code, modeled after a similar policy in place in Alberta, Canada, to the Select Board Tuesday, and also will present it to the School Committee.

Then work will begin to get the word out to the community. In addition to traditional methods such as bumper stickers, T-shirts and magnets, volunteers will conduct a door-to-door canvass of town on Saturday, June 12, to share the new policy with residents.

"I think the most important thing is to go out into the community and get feedback and ideas," Lesniak told the board.

The code will be "honored and encouraged at all community events, including athletic events." Once adopted, Foley said the task force will recommend posting it in various public places, including schools, town offices and community buildings.

Officials said the code of conduct is one of several positive steps being taken in the community in the aftermath of a tragic death. Fifteen-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself in January after allegedly being tormented by schoolmates. In addition to the code of conduct, other initiatives on the horizon involve creation of a youth commission and establishing a suicide-prevention coalition.

"My feeling is there is a lot of support in the town, more so than is reflected in the press," Foley said.
Additionally, a community meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, May 27, in the high school auditorium.

The meeting will attempt to harness people's need to act and to engage them in a conversation about what direction the town should head following the Prince tragedy and what events they would like to see that might help the community come together, Foley said.

Youth commission
After voters at Town Meeting earlier this month gave selectmen the go-ahead to create a youth commission, the Selectboard spent some time Tuesday discussing what the commission's mission will be and how it will be structured.

Such commissions can survey issues facing young people in town and make recommendations about actions that can be taken.

Member Bruce MacCullagh, who has been researching other communities with such commissions, floated the idea of a nine-member commission that would include three youths and a member or designated representative from the School Committee, Selectboard, Council on Aging, Board of Health, Recreation Commission and Police Department.

Member Marilyn G. Ishler didn't think the Council of Aging should be represented on the commission, and Vice Chairman Robert G. Judge questioned the idea of setting aside seats for any specific organizations.

MacCullagh, however, said those groups could designate residents to sit on the commission instead of filling the slots with one of their own.

In the end, the board agreed to bring in representatives from youth commissions in neighboring communities to get some additional ideas on what the town's commission should look like.

Efforts to establish a suicide-prevention coalition are also on the horizon. Judge and four representatives from the South Hadley schools this week are attending a statewide conference hosted by the state public health department's Suicide-Prevention Program, including one workshop on how to form such coalitions.

Judge said that after the conference ends today, he and those from the school district who attended will discuss what steps should be taken in order to propose a coalition.

Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.

Being part of solution

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

It is notable that in tough economic times for the state and municipalities, Easthampton's four school unions have agreed to a one-year contract extension with no cost-of-living increase.

The action by the 240 teachers, custodians and other staff will save the district $200,000. It will allow Easthampton to avoid layoffs and, in conjunction with other special accounts money, will help bring back a teaching position and the jobs of a guidance counselor and several aides.

In the last several years, with reductions in state aid and rising costs, municipal leaders have called for help from school and municipal unions. Most such requests have been rejected; few have stepped up in as big a way as Easthampton's school personnel. They understand - as do employees in many workplaces right now - that they must be part of the financial solution.

Easthampton Education Association President Meredith Balise noted that the concession is not easy for members, who face the same increased costs and economic struggles as everyone else. The agreement asks their families to make do with less.

In a statement she wrote: "We all hope that this action of goodwill allows the schools to remain stable in providing necessary services to students."

With teacher layoffs being discussed around the region, Easthampton stands as a model for shared sacrifice. We join school committee members, the superintendent and the mayor in thanking them for stepping up on behalf of the students.

South Hadley may begin suicide prevention coalition

by Matt Rocheleau

SOUTH HADLEY - Town officials are looking into establishing a suicide-prevention coalition, which would become the third initiative implemented in response to an alleged bullying-related suicide.

"We've had a tragedy in our town that woke up not only South Hadley, but also the nation and maybe the world," said Selectboard member Marilyn G. Ishler.

Two mental health support centers - the Behavioral Health Network based in Springfield and Riverside Community Care of Dedham - have been assisting South Hadley schools since 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself in January after being bullied by classmates, some of who are now facing criminal charges for their alleged harassment.

Last month, members from both support centers as well as the state's Suicide Prevention Program director met with various South Hadley leaders who appeared to reach a consensus that the town should take action to prevent suicide, said Selectboard Vice Chairman Robert G. Judge, who is also the board's representative to the town's anti-bullying task force.

"The more we learned, the more we agreed we need to form a coalition," Ishler said.

Following that meeting, Judge mentioned the idea of creating a suicide-prevention coalition in South Hadley to his colleagues in late April.

To further explore this idea, Judge said he plans to attend portions of a two-day, statewide conference next week hosted by the state public health department's Suicide-Prevention Program.

The ninth annual "Suicide Prevention Across the Lifespan: A Strategic Approach for Your Community" begins May 18 in Marlborough. There, Judge said he plans to attend workshops including one called "Community Coalitions: Getting The Work Done," which, according to a conference announcement, will include an overview of "what community coalitions are doing in suicide prevention throughout the country," as well as what such coalitions are doing locally.

Later in the day on May 18, Judge hopes to more formally propose the coalition's creation to Selectboard members at a scheduled meeting. Board members may vote to create a suicide-prevention coalition as soon as that evening, Judge said.

"It's not only the high school kids we have to look at," said Ishler, adding that suicide can be an issue for teens, adults and seniors alike. "We should take advantage of people's interest now to help get more support and to get more involved in bettering our community."

Selectboard Chairman John R. Hine echoed that sentiment.

"I think (a suicide prevention coalition) is something that's worthwhile to pursue," he said. "This is really a broad-based, community-based effort because suicide is an issue with more than just kids."

South Hadley created an anti-bullying task force in February, and at the annual Town Meeting on Saturday voters overwhelmingly approved the establishment of a youth commission.