After scathing reports from state education leaders, Boston Public Schools say they are on track to meet improvement mandates for the coming school year.
The city and school district reached an agreement with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on a plan back in June to avoid a state of receivership. Changes to special education services, student transportation and school safety are in the works for Boston schools.
Education leaders speaking at a school committee meeting said they have launched initiatives to make the changes. Four are already complete, and they expect to meet the 10 mandates issued by the state by Monday's deadline.
Earlier this year, DESE issued a report saying that Boston Public Schools were struggling to operate on a basic level and were not addressing systemic barriers to equitable education. A plan was laid out to make changes to avoid a state takeover of the district.
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There are a total of 24 mandates. As of Wednesday, Boston Public Schools have commissioned a safety audit, they've hired a team to improve special education services and launched an evaluation of the transportation system. Per the agreement, they must also improve the district's response to family complaints, review the bathrooms, improve special education and create a plan for English learners to ensure that they are getting appropriate services.
By Nov. 1, the district must begin implementing a district-wide inclusion policy for special education and get most buses running on time. They also have to renovate the bathrooms by the end of June.
