70 Pittsfield Students Have Been Homeless This School YearBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:39PM / Friday, January 10, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Seventy Pittsfield Public School students have been unhoused this school year, 20 more than the previous year.
"The numbers, in my opinion, are quite high," said Jennifer Stokes, assistant superintendent for school transformation and accountability.
On Wednesday, Stokes spoke with the Homelessness Advisory Committee about the district's McKinney-Vento population. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act is a federal program that helps homeless children and youth enroll in and attend school.
Since September, there have been 70 unhoused students in the district. Twelve have obtained housing, leaving 58 still without a stable roof over
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BCC Announces Second Cohort of Paraprofessional Educators Class| 08:17AM / Friday, January 10, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces that the second cohort of its Paraprofessional Educators class begins Monday, Feb. 24. The six-week session is held Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The class is an entry-level course with no prerequisites. Students must be 18 years or older and have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. To register, email workforce@berkshirecc.edu or call (413) 236-2115. Paraprofessional or "para" educators, which are in demand in the Berkshires, play a vital role in supporting teachers in the classroom. The BCC program covers areas such as instructional techniques, classroom management, child
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Worldwide PowerSchool Breach Reaches Pittsfield, North Berkshire SchoolsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:22PM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Public Schools students and teachers had their personal information accessed as part of a worldwide PowerSchool breach. Mount Greylock Regional School District and Northern Berkshire School Union also reported some data was accessed. "This is not unique to the city of Pittsfield," Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the School Committee on Wednesday. "Every one of the 18,000 PowerSchool customers has experienced a data breach. We were informed yesterday with a very brief notice from PowerSchool and our technology department began to dig into the impact near immediately." The breach reportedly took place >> Read More |
PHS Students: Be Kinder About Our School Amid ScandalBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Pittsfield High School students are keeping their heads up despite the scandal that's embroiled the school.
Their ask? Think twice before making negative comments as an outsider.
"Right now, our school is going through, obviously, a lot but from what I have personally seen, I don't think our community has ever been stronger and I just don't think people are getting that," 10th-grader Benjamin Glockner said, reporting that it has been "negative after negative" when hearing from community members.
There was the usual feedback from residents at Wednesday's School Committee meeting but this time, it was matched by testimony
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CBRSD to Reconvene Regional Agreement PanelBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:13AM / Tuesday, January 07, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — After an outcry of concern from residents in several small towns in the Central Berkshire Regional School District, the district will investigate how to adjust its proposed update of the regional agreement. The district has been functioning without an approved regional agreement since 1968. The agreement was updated in 1997 but received approval only from the towns, not the state commissioner. For over a year, the district has been working to bring the agreement up to date with state law. "It's been a long time we've been operating without approval. State law is we're supposed to be operating with approval," >> Read More |
Pittsfield Public Schools Announces Pre-Kindergarten Lottery| 10:43AM / Monday, January 06, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, children living in Pittsfield, who will be 3 or 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2025, may complete an application for the Pittsfield Public Schools Pre-Kindergarten Program lottery. Pre-Kindergarten spaces are limited. Students must register by May 1, 2025 to be considered for the school based lottery which will occur on May 15, 2025. To be entered into the Pre-Kindergarten Lottery: Go to pittsfield.net, select Registration. Select Pre-Kindergarten Registration and complete the online Pre-Kindergarten application form. Applicants will be required to email a copy of their child's Birth >> Read More |
BCC Receives Funding for ESOL Classes| 08:01AM / Monday, January 06, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announced that it has received funding from 1Berkshire for two cohorts of adult students enrolling in BCC's English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. 1Berkshire will provide $15,000 per cohort for the spring and fall 2025 semesters, allowing ESOL students to receive full tuition assistance. BCC's ESOL classes are designed to assist non-native English speakers, primarily immigrants, in assimilating into the community and achieving their academic and career goals. Classes focus on English reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, while also integrating critical thinking, digital literacy, civics, and
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Pittsfield School Committee Chair Details PHS InvestigationBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:26AM / Friday, January 03, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — School Committee Chair William Cameron has provided additional details about the third-party investigation into alleged staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School.
On Monday, the committee authorized him to negotiate and execute a retainer agreement with law firm Bulkley Richardson Gelinas of Springfield for "independent and impartial investigations of certain Pittsfield Public School employees."
A second investigation by a different firm will target the district's internal processes.
Mid-week, Cameron forwarded iBerkshires answers to a list of queries from news blogger Dan Valenti of PlanetValenti.com "in order to ensure that I am providing
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs Firm for PHS Staff InvestigationBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:54AM / Tuesday, December 31, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Officials approved a third-party investigation on alleged staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School that's expected to wrap up by March.
On Monday, the School Committee authorized Chair William Cameron to negotiate and execute a retainer agreement with law firm Bulkley Richardson Gelinas of Springfield for "independent and impartial investigations of certain Pittsfield Public School employees."
"We need to have a credible investigation with the public so that the public can have confidence there is not something being covered up here," Cameron said during the special virtual meeting, citing public suspicion that the administration knew
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2024 in Sports: Hoosac Valley Girls Basketball Was Top StoryBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
05:06AM / Tuesday, December 31, 2024 | |
 The year that is ending came in with a bang as Berkshire County wrapped up three team state titles before 2024 was three months old. As the year went on, state crowns were harder to come by, but there still were a number of Western Mass titles and individual accomplishments to thrill local high school sports fans. Here is a look back at some of the stories that caught our eye in the year gone by: 1. County dynasty continues The story of the year was the story of the century as the Hoosac Valley girls basketball program reached its eighth state title game since 2014. And the Hurricanes won their third state championship in that run with a 71-53 win over West >> Read More |
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