Following recent issues of divisiveness, the School Committee had a midyear check-in of its norms and beliefs, part of its protocols and best practices for effective meetings. While at recent meetings some members expressed frustration with how meetings were run and a...
Featured: Education
Masks now optional on Hopkinton school buses
Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh announced Monday that the Hopkinton Public Schools will no longer require masking on school buses starting Tuesday. Windows will be kept open on the buses. "As always, any individual who wishes to continue to mask will be supported in...
Elmwood school-wide art project focuses on Black history
Elmwood School is celebrating Black History Month with an art project conceived by a substitute teacher and adopted by the entire school of 600 students. Keri Patterson, a third-grade long-term substitute teacher, said she was thinking about a class project that would...
HMS principal: Students have made ‘inappropriate, unkind, racist comments’ to each other
There have been multiple issues at Hopkinton Middle School where students have made “racist comments to one another” this school year, Principal Alan Keller said Thursday during an appearance before the School Committee. Keller was appearing before the committee to...
School Committee votes 4-1 to drop mask mandate on Feb. 28
The School Committee at its Thursday night meeting voted to discontinue the school mask mandate policy on Feb. 28 by a 4-1 vote. Because of a federal mandate, masks still will be required on school buses. The decision was in line with an announcement earlier this...
Tensions high at School Committee meeting despite calls for unity
Editor's note: This story was updated Feb. 19 with a comment from Meg Tyler regarding criticism from the Hopkinton Teachers Association. There were some tense moments at Thursday night’s School Committee meeting — even before the vote to lift the mask mandate starting...
School Committee duo cleared after open meeting law complaint
In a special meeting of the School Committee on Tuesday night, members Joe Markey and Meg Tyler were cleared of an allegation brought forth at the Feb. 3 meeting that they violated open meeting law by holding a Zoom meeting on Jan. 30 regarding the district’s mask...
Older students with disabilities develop business skills via Niche Hop Shop
Older students with disabilities in the Hopkinton Public Schools are finding their niche in the community by participating in an innovative business selling T-shirts and other items through the district’s 18-22 program. The Niche Hop Shop store grew out of the 18-22...
School Committee eyes March 7 for mask-optional but delays vote, approves calendar with extra holidays
Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from Joe Markey. The School Committee met for nearly three hours Thursday night to tackle some longstanding controversial topics, including the mask policy debate and the approval of the school calendar that now...
School Committee duo face open meeting law complaint, criticism from teachers union
Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from Joe Markey. The School Committee at its Thursday night meeting responded to a complaint by a Hopkinton resident against two School Committee members, Joe Markey and Meg Tyler, saying that they were in...
HHS graduation car parade gets tentative approval from Select Board
The Hopkinton High School rolling car parade for graduating students, scheduled for June 4, was unanimously approved by the Select Board at Tuesday's meeting, but with the understanding that class representatives must work with town departments that expressed safety...
School Committee roudup: Budget approved; calendar debated; COVID policy questioned
The School Committee at Thursday’s meeting approved the fiscal year 2023 budget of $57,116,438 and discussed a range of topics from updating the school calendar to the decrease in COVID-19 cases in schools over the past week. The committee approved by a 4-0-1 vote the...
School Committee weighs continued COVID precautions against emotional strain from ‘culture of fear’
At Thursday's School Committee meeting, Chair Nancy Cavanaugh welcomed the Board of Health, which requested a joint meeting with the committee to discuss the rise in COVID-19 cases because of the omicron variant, which is considered highly contagious in comparison...
School Committee roundup: No support for trail proposal; budget vote upcoming
The School Committee at its Thursday meeting voted unanimously not to support a current application proposed by the Upper Charles Trail Committee (UCTC) to extend a portion of its trail across the Irvine-Todaro property to Hayden Rowe Street. UCTC Chair Jane Moran in...
Elementary school students learn math concepts through art
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage that explains myriad ideas that can enter people’s minds while looking at art. Shelly Moran, the math coach for the Hopkinton Public Schools, has been figuring out creative ways to engage young learners in arithmetic...
School Committee discusses strategy for dealing with COVID surge: Case numbers ‘are a little bit alarming’
The School Committee held its Thursday night meeting virtually due to the town’s spike in COVID-19 cases, which has led to increased absenteeism in school this week both from cases and parents’ fear that their children could contract the disease. Superintendent Carol...
Hopkinton cancels school for Friday
Hopkinton schools will be closed Friday due to the predicted snowstorm. "As you may know, the upcoming snow event is predicted to be plowable and substantial; and further, the greatest impact is going to occur during the morning commute," Superintendent Carol...
Superintendent clarifies updated HPS COVID policy: 10-day isolation for positive cases
With students returning to classes Monday, Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh emailed Hopkinton Public Schools families Sunday to clarify the district’s policy on COVID isolation and quarantine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its...
HHS principal: Keefe Tech student from Hopkinton has died
Hopkinton High School Principal Evan Bishop emailed the HHS community Thursday to announce that a Keefe Tech student from Hopkinton has died. Bishop indicated that his staff was made aware of the student's death by the Keefe Tech administration Thursday morning. He...
School Committee roundup: Special education costs soar; Elmwood proposal moves into feasibility period
In addition to re-implementing the mandatory mask policy at Hopkinton High School by a 3-2 vote, the School Committee discussed other issues at its meeting Thursday night. Special education costs rise Karen Zaleski, the student services district director, noted that...