Published On: February 11, 2020

Dear Member,

Last week, we celebrated Black Lives Matter at School Week, a national movement that is taking place in more than 40 cities. We’d like to thank everyone who participated in this movement and demonstrated support, love, and affirmation to our black students, families, and educators. Black Lives Matter at Schools promotes empathy and loving engagement, spaces that are safe for all children to freely be themselves and justice for all. 

To that end, we want investments to be allocated toward increasing the number of counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses in school, rather than theoretically adding more police in schools to address behaviors.  We have proactively reached out to Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association officials to begin a dialogue regarding the true meaning and policy framework of Black Lives Matter at School Week, and we look forward to working with them to reach a common understanding.  We thank everyone for the overwhelming messages of support not just from our active and retired members, but also from members of law enforcement and the larger community. Read more here. 

On Monday, we convened a panel discussion at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, where students, parents, and educators gathered to discuss the movement’s demands and how they impact our schools. On Tuesday, BTU members gathered to share curricular resources and practices to implement in their schools. Our Inclusion and Unafraid Educators committees testified at the School Committee hearing on Wednesday in support of the demands of the movement, the Pushout Act, and restorative justice practices to create healthy learning environments that all our students deserve. Our educators chose a lesson from the BLM Week Curriculum to teach in their classrooms on Thursday, and on Friday, we celebrated BLM all day to highlight the work that we’re doing in this district when it comes to affirming Black lives and nurturing Black futures in the Boston Public Schools.

Our work to create inclusive classrooms for all does not end with the end of BLM at School week. We hope that all will continue to engage with the movement and its principles throughout the month and year. 

One way to continue our anti-racism work and organizing for justice is to attend the Winter Conference, where we will be hosting an anti-racism workshop for educators. On February 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., join us for the BTU’s Winter Conference, Stronger Together: Parents and Educators Unite! In the morning, there will be workshops for BTU members only. Following a fabulous lunch, the afternoon workshops will be geared for both educators and parents. See flyers in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Haitian-Creole for information about each of the workshops that will take place. Childcare and language translation are available with registration. Learn more.
For 75 years, we’ve fought for small class sizes, better special education inclusion supports for our students, better working conditions for our members, and, above all, improving the quality of life for all working people. Join us to celebrate our 75th Anniversary on October 3. Tickets are now available for purchase.

We are excited to announce the call for proposals for year three of the Teacher  Leadership Fund, a feature of our contract which grants teams of educators up to $15,000 to create and share solutions that improve the learning and well-being of our most marginalized students. Learn more and apply.

Finally, we hope you’ll join us tomorrow for our Membership Meeting beginning at 4:30 p.m.! During the meeting, we will be making a presentation on the new health care plan approved by the City Council, voting on the Unafraid Educators resolution and providing other important updates. Don’t forget to request childcare if you need it. You can see our full agenda for the meeting tomorrow.

Have a great week!

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