Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Bedford students tell trustees antisemitism concerns as governor visit reiterates phone-ban status
Loading...
Summary
At a Nov. 5 visit to Bedford High School, Governor Ayotte and Commissioner Davis met students and staff. A BHS junior described experiences with antisemitism and trustees heard a donor-offered, donor-funded Tribe Talk workshop could be arranged; the governor indicated the new cell-phone law "will not be changing anytime soon."
On Nov. 5, Governor Ayotte and Commissioner Davis visited Bedford High School and met with students, staff and administrators, board members heard at the Bedford School District’s Nov. 10 meeting.
A Bedford High School junior, Lauren Buff, told the visiting group about experiencing antisemitism, prompting trustees and administrators to discuss next steps to support students. Community Senate representatives said a donor has offered to cover the roughly $3,500 fee for a Tribe Talk workshop, a Newton, Massachusetts nonprofit that runs dialogue and inclusion workshops. Sam, a Community Senate representative, said Tribe Talk is willing to tailor a roughly 30-minute session to fit into an existing class such as IB Global Politics so it would not disrupt the schedule.
Trustees praised the student’s willingness to speak and described the testimony as "powerful," saying it provided a starting point for the community to consider responses. Board members and administrators discussed practicalities: Bedford does not use lockers and many students carry phones in backpacks, and the district removed foam pouches, so staff are working through how to accommodate class activities that formerly relied on phones (for example, art or technology classes that used phones as cameras).
Community Senate members told trustees the governor "heard our opinions and perspectives," but noted the governor indicated the statewide cell-phone legislation "will not be changing anytime soon." Administrators and trustees emphasized the district’s approach is currently lighter-touch than some other districts: repeated or blatant defiance of staff requests to put away devices has resulted in disciplinary steps up to out-of-school suspension in the most severe cases, but administrators said those suspensions are not imposed for a single, minor hallway infraction.
Board members said they will follow up with community-senate leaders and school administrators about next steps for student supports and potential programming. Tribe Talk, if scheduled, would be donor-funded and adaptable to school needs; the board did not take a formal vote on implementing a workshop during the Nov. 10 meeting.
The district’s student representatives and administrators will continue to monitor how the phone policy affects instruction and student safety, and trustees said they expect to review policy outcomes again during the school year.
