City Council Candidate on Restoring In-Person Learning in Newton

When I was three years old, my mother moved our family from Allston to Brookline so that my siblings and I could receive a better education,” says Tarik Lucas, candidate for the At-Large Ward 2 City Council seat in the March 16th special election. “When people tell me that they moved to Newton for the schools, I understand exactly what they mean.”

“Newton is a leader in education” says Tarik, but “I sympathize with parents who have been unhappy with the school leadership this year.” The pandemic forced all public schools to resort to remote learning last spring, but Newton has lagged behind its neighbors in bringing students back to in person instruction. He reports that for the 2020-2021 academic year, a first grader in Wellesley will have about 80 more days of in-person instruction than a first grader in Newton. “As a basketball and soccer referee, I know how important it is for kids to be interacting with one another in person.”

What can the City Council do? Over half the City Council members have sent two letters to the Mayor and School Committee asking for more of a sense of urgency regarding the opening of schools. Tarik declares that if he had been on the City Council, he would have signed both letters, and he wants to identify the next steps toward restoring in-person instruction, taking into account all necessary health precautions.

“We should tap into the great minds we have in Newton, those with medical, science, and public health expertise,” says Tarik. “I am ready to tap into those resources and make sure that we salvage what we have left of this school year. This election puts me in a unique position where I can advocate for in-person learning starting in March.”

An Evening to Discuss Restoring In-Person Instruction and the Role of the City Council

Join us for a panel discussion on Sunday, February 28 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm.

Topics For Discussion:
How can we make sure we are on the right track the rest of this year and what we as a community can do to prepare for next year? How can the Newton City Council impact the public schools? What has the City Council done in the past? What could they do in the future with the right members?

Panelists:

• Dr. Stefanos Kales, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Professor and Program Director of the Occupational Medicine Residency at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH)
• Kate Nyquist, MD ,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
• City Councilor Marc Laredo
• City Councilor Pam Wright
• School Committee Candidate Chris Brezski

REGISTER FOR THE EVENT:

http://bit.ly/NPSTJ

You will receive a confirmation link, shortly after registering.

Please submit your school-related questions in advance to marc.charles.laredo@gmail.com