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Framingham superintendent details midyear goals, recounts Fuller School safety drill
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Tremblay gave a midyear update on district goals — including a zoning heat map tied to an MSBA project and professional-practice work — and described a Fuller School stay-in-place that used a canine unit after a passerby reported an object later identified as a cell phone.
Dr. Matthew Tremblay, superintendent of Framingham Public Schools, opened his midyear report by describing a school safety incident at Fuller School this week that prompted a stay-in-place and a district response.
"It wasn't a gun, it was a cell phone," Tremblay said, recounting that a passerby saw an object fall from a student's pocket and believed it was a firearm. The passerby's report led police and district staff to activate safety protocols, Tremblay said. He said the district deployed a canine unit to screen backpacks; no students were individually searched.
The superintendent credited the Framingham Police Department and school staff for the response and emphasized the district's communications with families. "We immediately went into that," he said, adding that the district aimed to provide updated information to families as it became available.
Beyond the incident, Tremblay gave a midyear update on the district's goals. He said the district is developing a school-zoning plan that includes a heat map of where students live relative to school assignments, work tied to an upcoming Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) project for a potential new South Side school, and legal review with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education before any rezoning is implemented.
Tremblay said the zoning work aims to make every school "equally desirable" and to reduce long bus trips that send some students across the city. He described plans to analyze demographic data carefully to avoid civil-rights violations and said the district will consult the state education department about legal authority before proposing formal rezoning.
He also outlined a professional-practice goal focused on supporting principals as instructional leaders and ensuring consistent, high-quality Tier 1 instruction across schools. Tremblay cited a visit from the associate commissioner of education and praised the district's progress in aligning curriculum and adopting high-quality instructional materials.
The superintendent said the district will continue school visits and supervisory work, and invited committee members to observe classroom practice in the new year. He closed by thanking staff and families for their patience during the Fuller School incident and by expressing confidence in the district's instructional direction.
The committee did not take formal action on the zoning work at the meeting; Tremblay said next steps include additional analysis and consultation with state officials.
