HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-04-BOS-Packet-releasedSELECTMEN'S MEETING
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Lexington High School Library Media Center
7:00 PM
AGENDA
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public comments are allowed for up to 10 minutes at the beginning of each meeting. Each speaker
is limited to 3 minutes for comment. Members of the Board will neither comment nor respond,
other than to ask questions of clarification. Speakers are encouraged to notify the Selectmen's
Office at 781-698-4580 if they wish to speak during public comment to assist the Chairman in
managing meeting times.
SELECTMAN CONCERNS AND LIAISON REPORTS
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION
1. Council for the Arts - Update on Grant Process (10 min.) 7:00 p.m.
2. Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk - Stress Report (20 min.) 7:05 p.m.
3. Article Presentations/Positions (1 hour) 7:25 p.m.
1. Article 42 - Commission on Disability Request
2. Article 8 - Appropriate the FY2016 Community Preservation
Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects - (g) Cary
Memorial Building Sidewalk Enhancement
4. Selectmen Committee Appointments/Resignations (5 min.) 8:25 p.m.
1. Communications Advisory Committee - appointment
2. Town Celebrations Committee - resignation and appointments
5. Discuss Snow Removal from Business District (5 min.) 8:30 p.m.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Selectmen Minutes 8:35 p.m.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
1. Executive Session: Exemption 6 - Consider Purchase, Exchange, Lease
or Value of Real Property-Public Safety Site (15 min.)
8:40 p.m.
ADJOURN
The next regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Monday, March 9,
2015, at 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen Meeting Room, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue.
Hearing Assistance Devices Available on Request
All agenda time and the order of items are approximate and subject to change.
COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
LCA is charged with administering and monitoring state
MCC monies for arts, humanities, & interpretive
sciences in Lexington.
This includes seeking grant applicants, and evaluating
those applications.
Wednesday, March 4, 15
2015 LCC GRANTS
LOCAL CULTURAL COUNCIL
MCC Funding: $4,350
Unclaimed 2013 Grant Monies: $1,005
Set-aside for Administrative Costs (5%): $217
TOTAL Amount Awarded to Grantees: $5,138
Wednesday, March 4, 15
27 Applications for $15,425.
19 Awards of $5,138 (33%)
Music
Dance
Visual Arts
Theatre
Film
Literature
Culture
Interpretive Science
2015 GRANTSwww.mass-culture.org/Lexington
Wednesday, March 4, 15
•Belmont World Film - Arlington/Belmont Film Festival, January 16-19
•Lexington Arts & Crafts Society - Raku Kiln purchase, Winter
•Lexington Pops Chorus - Concerts for Assisted Living Residents, January 18 & May
•Special Needs Arts Program (SNAP) - Sing-along Chorus, MLK Day: January 19, May17 (tentative)
•Lexington Symphony - Music Education Program, January 29, May
•New Repertory Theater - Theatric Performance, April 6, Brookhaven Residents
•Stephen Collins - Walt Whitman Character Performance at Cary Library, April 9
•William Diamond Fife & Drum - Lexington Muster, May 2
•Lexington Open Studios - 7th Annual Open Studios, May 2 & 3
•Munroe Saturday Nights - Performances for under-served populations, Oct - June
•Lexington Arts & Crafts Society - Street Scape, Summer
•Metropolitan Wind Symphony - 4 Summer Band Concerts, July
•Contemporary Arts Int’l. - Stone Carving Symposium, August
•Sunanda Sahay - Indian Festival, August 15
•Charles River Sinfonietta - Chamber Music, September
•In Good Company - Musical, November
•MUSIC dance.edu - Jazz - HipHop Presentation, Excel Center for Nursing & Rehab
•Discovery Museums - $1 admission program
2015 GRANTEES
www.Facebook.com/ArtsLexington
Wednesday, March 4, 15
COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
LCA is charged with undertaking projects to further
the appreciation and support of the arts in Lexington.
Wednesday, March 4, 15
ARTS INFORMATION
Lexington Minuteman, Colonial Times
www.Facebook.com/ArtsLexington
www.lexingtonma.gov
2015 COMMUNITY SURVEY
www.SurveyMonkey.com/s/2J9L79N
COMMUNITY
Wednesday, March 4, 15
COMMUNITY
Wednesday, March 4, 15
UPCOMING EVENTS
Golden Tricornes: April 6-17
Open Studios: May 2 & 3
Hidden Treasures Weekend: May 16
Discovery Day: May 23
Wednesday, March 4, 15
artscouncil@lexingtonma.gov
Wednesday, March 4, 15
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
Cristina Burwell
ITEM NUMBER:
I. 1
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Council for the Arts - Update on Grant Process (10 min.)
SUMMARY:
Cristina Burwell will present some information on the Council for the Arts and their grant process.
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
FOLLOW-UP:
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
7:00 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Lexington Council for the Arts Presentation Presentation
Lexington Council for the Arts handout Backup Material
Lexington Council for the Arts Survey 2015 Backup Material
Arts - Hidden Treasures - Press Release Backup Material
LEXINGTON COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
!
LCA is charged with administering and monitoring state (MCC) monies for arts, humanities, and
interpretive sciences in Lexington. This includes seeking grant applicants, and evaluating those
applications.!
z
2015 LCC GRANTS!
Local Cultural Council!
•MCC Funding: $4,350!
•Unclaimed 2013 Grant Monies: $1,005!
•Set-aside for Administrative Costs (5%): $217!
•Total Amount Awarded to Grantees: $5,138!
z
2015 GRANTS!
http://www.mass-culture.org/Lexington!
•27 Applications for total of $15,425!
•19 Awards of $5,138 (33%)!
•Awards in the areas of: music, dance, visual arts, theatre, film, literature, culture,
interpretive science!
z
2015 GRANTEES!
!•!Belmont World Film - Arlington/Belmont Film Festival, January 16-19 !
!•! Lexington Arts & Crafts Society - Raku Kiln purchase, Winter !
!•!Lexington Pops Chorus - Concerts for Assisted Living Residents, January 18 & May!
!•!Special Needs Arts Program (SNAP) - Sing-along Chorus, MLK Day: January 19,
May17 (tentative)!
!•!Lexington Symphony - Music Education Program, January 29, May !
!•!New Repertory Theater - Theatric Performance, April 6, Brookhaven Residents!
!•!Stephen Collins - Walt Whitman Character Performance at Cary Library, April 9!
!•! William Diamond Fife & Drum - Lexington Muster, May 2!
!•!Lexington Open Studios - 7th Annual Open Studios, May 2 & 3!
!•!Munroe Saturday Nights - Performances for under-served populations, Oct - June!
!•! Lexington Arts & Crafts Society - Street Scape, Summer!
!•!Metropolitan Wind Symphony - 4 Summer Band Concerts, July!
!•!Contemporary Arts Int’l. - Stone Carving Symposium, August!
!•!Sunanda Sahay - Indian Festival, August 15!
!•!Charles River Sinfonietta - Chamber Music, September!
!•!In Good Company - Musical, November!
!•!MUSIC dance.edu - Jazz - HipHop Presentation, Excel Center for Nursing & Rehab!
!•!Discovery Museums - $1 admission program! !
z
Page of 1 2Board of Selectmen Slideshow - 3.4.15/Burwell
!
LEXINGTON COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS!!
LCA is charged with undertaking projects to further the appreciation and support of the arts in
Lexington.!
z
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT!
Public arts information shared with the community on our facebook at web pages:!
•www.facebook.com/ArtsLexington!
•http://www.lexingtonma.gov/committees/artscouncil.cfm!!
Community input formally sought every 3 years.!
•2015 - www.SurveyMonkey.com/s/2J9L79N!
z
RECENT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT!
•Patriots’ Day Parade, participant!
•Munroe Center for the Arts, signage and gallery!
•New Community Center, art!
•LHS, Dimmock Award!
•Lexington Pocket Park, community participant!
•Lexington Retailers Assoc., discussions!
z
UPCOMING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT!
•Golden Tricorne Project (April 6-17)!
•Revolutionary Revelries: Public Piano Project (May)!
•National Park Service: Hidden Treasures Weekend (May 16)!
•Lexington Open Studios (May 2-3)!!
z
FOR MORE INFORMATION!!
artscouncil@lexingtonma.gov!
Cristina Burwell, Chairperson!!!!!
Page of 2 2Board of Selectmen Slideshow - 3.4.15/Burwell
Lexington Arts Council Survey 2015!
The Lexington Council for the Arts is collecting opinions to help us set our funding priorities for the next
few years. Please take a moment to complete this confidential survey. Please feel free to also contact
your Council for the Arts with any further questions or suggestions: artscouncil@lexingtonma.gov, or find
out what is happening at www.facebook.com/ArtsLexington * Thank you!! !
1. What current arts and cultural programs or services are you aware of and feel are important to
maintain? !
2. What do you consider to be important issues relating to culture in our community? (i.e.,
neighborhood revitalization, artists' spaces, special population group needs, school system
needs, etc.)? !
3. What might artists and arts organizations do to make ours a more livable, prosperous
community? !
4. Were you aware that artists, schools and community groups can apply for grants from the
Lexington Arts Council's Massachusetts Cultural Council grants funds?
Yes
No !
5. How do you hear about cultural activities that interest you?
•Minuteman Newspaper
•Colonial Times
•Town Website
•Arts Council Website
• LexMedia
•Word of Mouth
•Other (please specify) !
6. What should be the most important priorities that our council should consider for
state funding? Please rank at least your top three recommendations, with "1" for most important,
"2" for the next, etc.
•Professional development of local artists through community projects
•Nature, science, environmental education projects
•Arts education in the schools
•Restoration or preservation projects
•Community-wide gatherings: festivals, concerts, plays
•Field trips for students to museums, or performances
•Projects celebrating local history, cultural diversity
•Local cable programing
•Other !
7. Is there a particular population segment we should aim to reach through public funding of
cultural projects?
Teens
Seniors
Low-income
People with disabilities
Families
Communities of color
Immigrant communities
Single adults
Other (please specify) !
8. If affiliated with a cultural organization, what are the most significant challenges you (your
organization) expect to be facing in the next two years? !
9. What do you consider to be the most significant gap or shortcoming in Lexington's arts-and-
culture related services, facilities, programs, or events?
For other comments & suggestions, please send us an email at: artscouncil@lexingtonma.gov
draft February 2015
Freedom’s
Way
Initiates
“Hidden
Treasures
Weekend”
in
May
2015 !
Freedom’s
Way
Heritage
Area
has
invited
the
45
towns
and
cities
within
its
bounds
to
participate
in
“Hidden
Treasures
Weekend,”
an
exciting
two-‐day
regional
celebration.
On
Saturday,
May
16th
and
Sunday,
May
17th,
2015,
communities
across
the
994-‐square-‐
mile
Freedom’s
Way
area,
home
to
over
750,000
people,
will
offer
free,
public
programs
featuring
a
“hidden
treasure”
in
their
town.
!
Towns
and
community
organizations
are
developing
fun
and
creative
activities
that
will
enable
residents
of
the
region
to
explore
the
nature,
culture
and
history
of
Freedom’s
Way’s
45
communities.
Each
community
will
select
a
single
“hidden
treasure”
that
tells
an
exciting
or
unexpected
story
from
its
history
and
share
its
story
with
the
public.
“Treasures”
featured
will
be
objects
and
documents
held
in
local
collections,
public
monuments,
buildings,
and
landscapes.
!
Lexington’s
history
from
the
birth
of
the
USA
through
today
has
provided
fertile
ground
for
her
“hidden
treasure”
of
arts
and
culture.
In
the
Hidden
Treasures
Weekend,
residents
and
visitors
are
invited
to
traverse
the
ACROSS
Lexington
trails
around
town
that
lead
to
artifacts
and
special
weekend
arts
events
spotlighting
what
Lexington
has
to
offer,
both
historic
and
modern.
!
Freedom’s
Way
is
collaborating
with
each
community,
offering
targeted
support
and
providing
participating
organizations
with
a
framework
for
program
development.
Heritage
Area
communities
not
yet
part
of
the
“Hidden
Treasures
Weekend”
project
are
welcome
to
contact
Freedom’s
Way
to
learn
more.
!
Freedom's
Way
connects
the
people,
places
and
communities
of
the
Heritage
Area
through
preservation,
conservation
and
educational
initiatives
to
protect
and
promote
our
shared
resources
and
to
encourage
residents
and
visitors
to
explore
our
landscape,
history
and
culture.
The
Freedom’s
Way
Heritage
Association
works
in
partnership
with
the
National
Park
Service
to
support
the
Freedom’s
Way
National
Heritage
Area
in
Massachusetts
and
New
Hampshire.
!
Lexington
is
providing
both
a
physical,
as
well
as
an
interactive
online
map
that
leads
residents
and
visitors
through
its
downtown
and
conservation
lands
in
an
exploration
of
some
of
the
town’s
arts
and
culture.
Discover
Freedom’s
Way
–
Explore
the
Hidden
Treasures
within
your
Heritage
Area
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
BJ Rudman
ITEM NUMBER:
I. 2
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk - Stress Report (20 min.)
SUMMARY:
The Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk will make a presentation on their recommendations to the
School Committee for reducing stress, building resiliency and improving services for youth.
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
FOLLOW-UP:
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
7:05 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Youth at Risk Presentation Presentation
Executive Summary - Youth at Risk - Stress Executive Summary
Final Report - Youth at Risk - Stress Backup Material
Improving Town
and Community Services
for Our Youth At Risk
Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk
Presentation to the Lexington Board of Selectmen
March 4, 2015
Our Presentation
•A brief description of the Committee and our
work
•Framing the issue
•Some recommendations for the town
•Two requests for action
Stress is taking a toll on Lexington youth
55 LHS students tried to commit suicide (at least
once) in the past 12 months
247 (15% of those surveyed) seriously considered
suicide – the highest level in a decade
Harassment at school and in the community was
the strongest predictor of suicide ideation
According to the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey:
LHS students who considered suicide
From the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Schools / Town Government / Community
Schools Town Government Community
▪Hire or designate a senior LPS administrator with
the organizational authority to mobilize
initiatives in the classroom, guidance, social
services and professional development in order
to lead district-wide efforts to build youth
resiliency, reduce youth stress, and provide
services for youth at risk
▪Create a district-wide Stress Reduction and
Resiliency Working Group chaired by the senior
LPS administrator that includes administrators,
principals, guidance, wellness and special
education staff and classroom teachers, to
develop new initiatives in the schools, share
information among schools about their programs
and assess the effectiveness of these efforts
▪Form an on-site working group within each
school chaired by the principal or assistant
principal to find ways to reduce stress, build
resiliency and improve the school climate
▪Hire or designate a Director of Youth Services
within the Department of Human Services
responsible for overseeing and coordinating
services to youth
▪Create a Committee for Lexington Youth, co-
chaired by the Director of Youth Services and
designated LPS lead administrator and
comprised of youth, school, town, and
community leaders and stakeholders, to
promote and develop programs aimed at
building resiliency, reducing stress and providing
counseling and support services to youth at risk
▪Hire counseling staff or contract with a
community counseling agency to assist the
Director in providing counseling and support
services, staffing the Youth Center and
developing community education programming
for youth and parents
▪Under the auspices of the Committee for
Lexington Youth Working Group, recruit leaders
from community groups, such as PTA/PTO’s,
religious and civic organizations, social service
and healthcare providers, to form a Community
Resources for Youth Working Group with the aim
of mobilizing community resources to build
resiliency, reduce stress, and provide
community-based services for youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working
Group would develop and organize community
forums, education programs and town-wide
events aimed at promoting discussion and
educating the community on social and
emotional health, reducing stress and supporting
youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working
Group will act as a liaison in order to coordinate
the community education programs and forums
for youth and families offered by various
community groups
Recommendation #1
Leadership and Organization
Schools Town Government Community
Designate Senior
Leader in LPS
Form district-wide
Stress Reduction and
Resiliency Working
Group
On-site working
group at each school
Hire Director of Youth
Services
Create a Committee
for Lexington Youth
Form a Community
Resources for Youth
Working Group
Organizes community
forums and
education programs
Recommendation #4
Identify and Support Youth at Risk
Schools Town Government Community
Enhance identifica-
tion/support services
Add guidance, social
worker in elementary
Create additional
preventive support
programs at LHS,
middle schools
Identify resources for
referral
A community-wide
Youth Suicide
Prevention Program
A Town Suicide
Response Protocol
Free, accessible
counseling for at-risk
youth and families
Outreach to youth at
risk, including peer
leadership at the
Town Youth Center
Present results of
Youth Risk Behavior
Survey
Train teens & adults
on signs of harmful
behavior and how to
get help
Provide parent
education and
support groups
Two Requests for Immediate Action
1. Create a Committee for Lexington Youth
•The Director of Youth Services to co-chair
with a comparable position in the Schools
2. Join the Implementation Task Force
•Designate a Selectman as co-chair
Thank You.
…Questions?
November 2014
Executive Summary
Recommendations for
Reducing Stress, Building Resiliency and
Improving Services for Our Youth
Submitted by the Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk
to the Lexington School Committee
Lexington, MA
November 2014
I. FRAMING THE ISSUE
1. Stress is taking its toll on Lexington’s youth
According to the 2013 Youth Risky Behavior Survey:
• 55 LHS students recently tried to commit suicide (at least once) in the past 12 months
• 247 (15% of those surveyed) seriously considered suicide – the highest level in a
decade
• Harassment at school and through social media was the strongest predictor of suicide
ideation
• 60% reported “extreme” or “a lot” of stress due to classes
• 83% of students felt the atmosphere of the school encouraged academic competition
2. The key is to reduce unnecessary stress while maintaining academic standards and a
healthy balance for youth
• Not all stress is bad. The stress from challenging oneself just the right amount is a
good and necessary kind of stress. But too much stress is physically and emotionally
unhealthy and can lead to risky behavior.
• Some stress is simply unnecessary – and parents, teachers and students can do
something about it. Sources of unnecessary stress include academic, extracurricular,
peer, family, and social pressure.
• If students are not subjected to too much stress, particularly unnecessary stress, they
will learn more, perform better, and be healthier.
• Reducing stress for students will not compromise academic standards or student
achievement. Rather, having less stress can actually improve students' academic
performance and success.
• Efforts to reduce student stress should also include efforts to reduce teacher/staff
stress. Less stressed teachers are more effective teachers and they can model stress
reduction behaviors for their students.
3. This is a community issue that requires leadership
• It’s not just about the schools – This is a community problem requiring a community
response that involves parents, students, town and the community, as well as schools.
• There must be more visible leadership and more effective organization within both the
Lexington Public Schools and the Town Government to address stress and youth at
risk. And there should be more coordination between the Town and LPS.
• Schools are doing a lot to serve youth with emotional issues, but Town services for
youth are seriously under-resourced relative to comparable communities.
• While efforts in the schools require district-wide leadership and organization, effective
solutions also require a “bottoms up” approach with heavy teacher and staff
involvement.
• More effective communications to the community is needed from LPS and the Town.
2
4. Enhancing social-emotional intelligence and building resiliency leads to higher quality
education and better performance
• If the emotional intelligence of students is enhanced, through programs such as those
based on Social Emotional Learning, they will be more successful.
5. It is critical to improve identification of youth at risk and provide support services for them
and their families
• When youth and their families are experiencing problems, they should have access to
quality services.
6. Changing the culture and climate for youth requires building awareness and engaging in
community discussion and education
• Coming together can make a difference. Other communities have successfully brought
town services, schools, parents, and community groups together to address stress,
e.g. Newton, Needham, Bedford, and Winchester.
_________________________________________________________________________________
The Full Report of the Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk can be found at the Lexington School
Committee website http://lps.lexingtonma.org. Go to School Committee/Publications and
Reports
3
II. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Leadership and Organization
a) Designate senior leaders in both the Lexington Public Schools and town government to manage programs to
reduce stress, build resiliency, and provide services for youth at risk.
b) Establish collaborative working groups within the LPS system and between the schools and town government,
as well as a town-wide working group comprised of community leaders, to develop a coordinated approach.
Schools Town Government Community*
▪Hire or designate a senior LPS administrator with the
organizational authority to mobilize initiatives in the
classroom, guidance, social services, and Professional
Learning in order to lead district-wide effo rts to build
youth resiliency, reduce youth stress, and provide
services for youth at risk
▪Create a district-wide Stress Reduction and Resiliency
Working Group, chaired by the senior LPS
administrator that includes administrators, principals,
guidance, wellness, special education staff, and
classroom teachers, to develop new initiatives in the
schools, share information among schools about their
programs, and assess the effectiveness of these
efforts
▪Form an on-site working group within each school
chaired by the principal or assistant principal to find
ways to reduce stress, build resiliency, and improve
the school climate
▪Hire or designate a Director of Youth Services within
the Department of Human Services responsible for
overseeing and coordinating services to youth
▪Create a Committee for Lexington Youth, co-chaired
by the Director of Youth Services and designated LPS
lead administrator and comprised of youth, school,
town, and community leaders, to promote and
develop programs aimed at building resiliency,
reducing stress, and providing counseling and support
services to youth at risk
▪Hire counseling staff or contract with a community
counseling agency to assist the Director in providing
counseling and support services, staffing the Youth
Center, and developing community education
programming for youth and parents
▪Under the auspices of the Committee for Lexington
Youth Working Group, recruit leaders from
community groups, such as PTA/PTO’s, religious and
civic organizations, and social service, and healthcare
providers, to form a Community Resources for Youth
Working G roup with the aim of mobilizing
community resources to build resiliency, reduce
stress, and provide community-based services for
youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working Group
would develop and organize community forums,
education programs, and town-wide events aimed at
promoting discussion and educating the community
on social and emotional health, reducing stress, and
supporting youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working Group
will act as a liaison in order to coordinate the
community education programs and forums for youth
and families offered by various community groups
* Community includes the community-at-large (parents, students, community members) as well as community organizations such as PTOs and PTAs, health service providers
(social workers, physicians, mental health providers), youth counseling and prevention organizations (LYFS , Wayside ), civic youth groups (Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts), faith-based
youth groups (all church/temple/mosque youth groups), community-based education booster groups (FOLMADS, LEF), youth-based community not-for-profits and businesses
(ArtSpan, LACS, Dance Inn), community-based organizations (Rotary, Lion), community businesses and professionals (retailers, independent professionals), and other ancillary
quasi-public organizations (library, Hayden, Lexington Community Education, colleges).
4
2. Help students and youth build resiliency, enhance social-emotional intelligence, manage stress, create balance
in their lives, and improve overall wellness.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Expand, initiate and coordinate evidence-based
Social-Emotional Learning programs with the aim of
ensuring consistency, continuity, and alignment of SEL
efforts K-12
▪Implement programs to teach children how to
manage emotions, stress, anxiety, and build resiliency
▪Expand Professional Learning for teachers on how to
create pro-social classrooms, and help students
manage stress and build resiliency
▪Evaluate effectiveness of current programs and
consider alternative approaches for reducing stress
and building resiliency at all levels, e.g. morning
meeting time, intervention/exploratory blocks, LHS
extended homerooms
▪Initiate pilot programs and expand existing initiatives
to integrate mindfulness-based stress reduction
practices into all schools
▪Offer and expand wellness program for teachers and
staff to reduce and manage their own stress
▪Reinstate health education in elementary schools and
increase frequency of health and wellness programs
in middle and high school
▪Develop and encourage ways to foster personal
connections and mentorship opportunities between
teachers/staff and individual students
▪Enable the peer leadership program to expand by
providing additional staff resources
▪Increase number and access to yoga classes in middle
and high school
▪Establish a Youth Center (possibly at the Lexington
Community Center) operated by youth themselves
and a Youth Center Board comprised of adults and
youth to provide administration and support for the
Youth Center
▪Provide free or low-cost access to stress relieving
activities, such as yoga, recreation, and art, through
the Town, the Community Center, the Youth Center,
and other sites
▪Provide online listings of both town-sponsored and
outside resources in the community for stress
management, health, and wellness
▪Work with community and business leaders to engage
youth in community service programs including
interning and mentoring programs
▪Organize community forums and education programs
coordinated by the Community Resources for Youth
Working Group on topics such as:
• social-emotional learning and building resiliency
• mindfulness-based stress reduction approaches
• stress-relief techniques and activities
• role of sleep in learning and mood regulation,
good sleep hygiene to improve well-being
• how to balance academic achievement and
emotional well-being
• improving work-family balance
▪Work with local business and community groups to
offer wellness programs for parents and youth
▪Work with town youth services to establish
community peer leadership and peer mentor
programs for teens that complement in-school peer
leadership programs
▪Develop a parent's guide to social-emotional learning
and educate parents on ways to complement social-
emotional learning practices from school with their
children at home
▪Support community events sponsored by the town,
businesses and community organizations that
promote social connection, family-centered fun,
relaxation, and stress-relief, e.g. Discovery Day
5
3. Examine ways to reduce sources of unnecessary and unhealthy stress for students and youth, including academic,
extracurricular, social, peer, family, societal, or internal pressures.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Establish best practices for homework through
teacher groups and PLCs, and provide Professional
Learning for teachers on homework best practices
▪Revise district and school workload policies and
guidelines, e.g. review workload, vacation policies,
respites from homework, scheduling of multiple
tests/projects
▪Examine and consider altering LHS course offerings,
levels, and sequences in specific areas where
alternative options would provide more appropriate
choices for students, e.g. adding honors levels where
needed, developmental readiness for Grade 10 AP
courses, science course preparation
▪Offer greater choice and flexibility of course options
in middle and high school so students can closely
align classes to their ability levels and interests, e.g.
electives that appeal to student interests, alternatives
for required classes
▪Define consistent and clear recommendation
procedures for courses in middle and high school to
ensure proper placement
▪Examine ways the schools can assist, inform, and
educate students and families in making balanced
choices for course selection; provide information on
course expectations and workload to students in
advance
▪Teach time management and executive functioning
skills to students in middle and high school
▪Explore and evaluate implementing a later start time
for LHS
▪Create a comprehensive town website for youth
services that includes information and resources for
reducing stress and building resiliency
▪Work with community groups to institute town-wide
campaigns, such as managing digital media exposure
("unplugged week"), good sleep hygiene, meeting-
free and homework-free days, to reduce stress and
promote in-person, social interaction
▪Offer information on health and wellness topics, e.g.
alcohol and other drugs, sleep, social media through
the website, social media, and written material.
▪Partner with schools to coordinate community-wide
programs on bullying, dating violence, Internet safety,
alcohol and other drug use
▪Organize community forums and education
programs, coordinated by the Committee Resources
for Youth, on sources of stress that can be minimized
or avoided. Possible topics include:
• peer pressures/competition
• cyber-bullying
• social media
• over-scheduling
• sleep deprivation
• how to balance academics, activities, social life,
family life
• college application process and its role in driving
student stress
• how early student stress starts and how to
prevent it
▪Organize parent-teen discussion events to talk about
sources of stress and what can be done to reduce
stress in students' lives
▪Hold peer discussion groups with students in the
Youth Center, religious youth groups, and other
community youth groups to talk about their own
sources of stress and how to reduce stress in their
lives
▪Expand efforts to reduce teen engagement in
unhealthy stress coping strategies, such as caffeine,
alcohol, marijuana and other drug use
▪Support community activities and events aimed at
reducing stress, e.g. unplugged week, meeting-
free/homework-free days
6
4. Identify youth at risk, provide support services, and improve coordination of services and referrals between
schools, town, and community.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Enhance identification and support services for
students with emotional and mental health concerns
(anxiety, stress, depression, psychological issues) at all
grade levels
▪Hire additional guidance counselors or social workers
in elementary schools to provide a balance of
preventive and responsive services
▪Create additional preventive support programs in
middle schools and at LHS for students with anxiety,
stress-related, psychological, emotional or mental
health issues (apart from TLP, Alpha, and SPED) This
may help offload cases that end up in SPED
▪Ensure continuity of support services as students
transition in the system from one school level to the
next
▪Develop Professional Learning programs and
delineate protocols for identifying students who
exhibit signs of stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal
thoughts, or risky behavior
▪Partner with the Town and community providers to
identify resources for school personnel to make
referrals and do follow-up coordination
▪Put information stickers on bathroom doors about
symptoms of depression and anxiety; suggest talking
to doctor, guidance counselor or help line for advice
▪Plan and implement a community-wide youth suicide
prevention program developed by a task force of
adults and youth representing the schools and
community
▪Develop and implement a town protocol for suicide
prevention and response to a youth suicide
▪Provide free, accessible individual and family
counseling and support services to youth and
families through a contracted community counseling
agency or town youth services staff
▪Provide counseling and support groups for at-risk
youth involved in alcohol and other drug abuse,
harassment, bullying, dating violence, including those
referred by police, schools, clergy and others
▪Provide outreach programs to at-risk youth, including
peer leadership programs at the Youth Center,
designed to reach out to at-risk youth and enhance
self-esteem
▪Designate a town coordinator or a contracted
community youth counseling agency to be the
community resource for school personnel to make
referrals for at-risk students
▪Provide an online directory of free and low cost
mental health services and private mental health
providers in the community
▪Develop programs through a youth-run website and
social media to reach out to at-risk and disconnected
youth and to provide information to prevent suicide,
dating violence, harassment
▪Work with the schools and community to provide
prevention programs, such as the Child Assault
Prevention Program (CAPP), to younger children and
parents
▪Present results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) to parents and the community in a public
forum and publish the full report on the town and
youth operated websites
▪Review YRBS and other data to identify problem
areas, triggers, and risk factors for youth
▪ Train and educate adults (parents, educators, service
providers, youth groups) to recognize signs of excess
stress, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, mental health
issues, self-injurious and risky behaviors
▪Provide peer training programs for teens,
coordinated with the schools, on what to do, how to
get help in situations of risky or harmful behavior, e.g.
signs of self-harm, suicidal behavior, drug use, anxiety
▪Distribute information online and in print to the
community on what to do and how to get help in
risky or harmful situations
▪Work to de-stigmatize the act of seeking counseling
and support
▪Provide parent education and support groups aimed
at prevention of suicide, substance abuse, sexual
abuse, domestic violence, self-destructive behavior
▪Engage community groups, cultural organizations,
faith-based youth groups, civic youth groups to do
outreach for youth at risk and their families
▪Engage mental health and medical professionals in
the community to advise and work with schools,
clergy and town services
▪Solicit community support, including financial
support, for mental health services for youth and
families
7
5. Community Education and Changing the Culture
a) Build awareness and ongoing discussion through parent and community education activities
b) Work together to change the culture and climate in schools, at home, and in the community in ways that
help reduce stress and build resiliency
Schools Town Government Community
▪Encourage school leaders to make reducing stress a
priority in the school culture; engage teachers/staff
▪Improve the school climate and culture by identifying
ways to reduce competitiveness, shift the focus more
on learning rather than grades, recognizing non-
academic and collective accomplishments
▪Reduce peer-to-peer competition through more
collaborative learning projects and group grading
▪Make substantial improvements in communication to
parents at the district and individual school level
about school programs to reduce stress and build
resiliency including use of websites, social media
▪Facilitate school-home partnership by establishing
guidelines for parents on communication with school
staff and providing workshops for staff on working
with families
▪Encourage development of student-run supports for
stress, e.g. peer groups, advice columns, clubs,
acknowledgment of student voices
▪Hire teachers and staff to reflect the diversity of the
student population in order to enhance opportunities
for adult mentorship and guidance to students of
different cultures, orientations, and backgrounds
▪Provide Professional Learning to help teachers and
staff understand the diverse backgrounds of students
in order to help them support the social-emotional
needs of students
▪Continue good work towards developing positive
relationships between youth and police, fire, and
library who are seen as a resource for youth at risk
▪Increase visibility of Town services and efforts to
serve youth at risk
▪Offer more non-competitive recreational sports and
activities
▪Publicize public events and forums as well as
resources and services available to youth
▪Create a Teen Youth Summer Internship for teens to
volunteer to work with Youth Services staff and assist
in planning of community forums
▪Increase support for coaches and recreation staff in
their efforts to build positive relationships with at-risk
youth and relieve unhealthy stress in general among
teens
▪Establish partnerships with businesses and
companies for job shadowing, internships, and
mentoring
▪Organize community forums and education programs
coordinated by Community Resources for Youth on
topics such as:
• open discussion on “what the community wants”
• how to redefine success
• societal, parental expectations and its effect on
students
• how to balance a high-achievement culture with
stress on students
• open dialog between parents and children/teens
about stress
• discuss possible solutions and actions
▪Organize events such as Youth Summits that bring
together teens, parents, town, and community to
address concerns of teens and stress
▪Initiate parenting workshops, a “Parent University”,
or book groups around stress and parenting topics
▪Utilize the resources and expertise of local healthcare
and mental health professionals to work with schools,
community, and youth groups
▪Encourage community youth programs, counseling
programs, mental health professionals, faith-based
youth groups to work together and coordinate
programs
▪Create a family-friendly environment in schools and
community, e.g. inter-generational activities,
improved communication, translation services
▪Continue and expand community efforts focusing on
the social-emotional and mental health needs of the
diverse student population, e.g. Lexington Asian
Mental Health Initiative
8
6. Reach out to find networking opportunities and other resources
Schools Town Government Community
▪Reach out to and learn from other school districts
grappling with the same issues
▪Review data and outcomes in school systems that
have instituted programs or changes
▪Join a network of schools, collaborate or partner with
universities or other community programs
▪Look into research programs and findings related to
stress
▪Hire a grant writer to solicit funding from SAMHSA,
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, CHNA15,
Foundation for Metrowest, and others.
▪Review efforts in other towns to learn how to best
structure services, communication, and engagement
with the community
▪Review accomplishments in other communities, e.g.
Needham, Newton, Bedford, Winchester, in
implementing programs to reduce stress and prevent
suicide and violence
▪ Engage businesses and companies to match students
with mentors, shadowing opportunities
7. Create a joint Follow-up Task Force with representatives from the schools, town, and community to monitor
implementation of these recommendations and to make periodic reports on progress
November 2014
Recommendations for
Reducing Stress, Building Resiliency and
Improving Services for Our Youth
Submitted by the Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk
to the Lexington School Committee
Lexington, MA
November 2014
Table of Contents
I. FRAMING THE ISSUE .......................................................................................................................1
II. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................3
III. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM ..................................................................................................9
IV. WHO WE ARE ............................................................................................................................ 12
V. WHAT WE DID ............................................................................................................................ 13
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS WITH FULL NARRATIVES ............................................................................ 17
RECOMMENDATION #1 .................................................................................................................. 18
RECOMMENDATION #2 .................................................................................................................. 23
RECOMMENDATION #3 .................................................................................................................. 28
RECOMMENDATION #4 .................................................................................................................. 37
RECOMMENDATION #5 .................................................................................................................. 43
RECOMMENDATION #6 .................................................................................................................. 49
RECOMMENDATION #7 .................................................................................................................. 51
VII. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................... 52
VIII. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 53
IX. AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR YOUTH AT RISK CHARTER .................................................................... 56
I. FRAMING THE ISSUE
1. Stress is taking its toll on Lexington’s youth
According to the 2013 Youth Risky Behavior Survey:
• 55 LHS students recently tried to commit suicide (at least once) in the past 12 months
• 247 (15% of those surveyed) seriously considered suicide – the highest level in a
decade
• Harassment at school and through social media was the strongest predictor of suicide
ideation
• 60% reported “extreme” or “a lot” of stress due to classes
• 83% of students felt the atmosphere of the school encouraged academic competition
2. The key is to reduce unnecessary stress while maintaining academic standards and a
healthy balance for youth
• Not all stress is bad. The stress from challenging oneself just the right amount is a
good and necessary kind of stress. But too much stress is physically and emotionally
unhealthy and can lead to risky behavior.
• Some stress is simply unnecessary – and parents, teachers and students can do
something about it. Sources of unnecessary stress include academic, extracurricular,
peer, family, and social pressure.
• If students are not subjected to too much stress, particularly unnecessary stress, they
will learn more, perform better, and be healthier.
• Reducing stress for students will not compromise academic standards or student
achievement. Rather, having less stress can actually improve students' academic
performance and success.
• Efforts to reduce student stress should also include efforts to reduce teacher/staff
stress. Less stressed teachers are more effective teachers and they can model stress
reduction behaviors for their students.
3. This is a community issue that requires leadership
• It’s not just about the schools – This is a community problem requiring a community
response that involves parents, students, town and the community, as well as schools.
• There must be more visible leadership and more effective organization within both the
Lexington Public Schools and the Town Government to address stress and youth at
risk. And there should be more coordination between the Town and LPS.
• Schools are doing a lot to serve youth with emotional issues, but Town services for
youth are seriously under-resourced relative to comparable communities.
• While efforts in the schools require district-wide leadership and organization, effective
solutions also require a “bottoms up” approach with heavy teacher and staff
involvement.
• More effective communications to the community is needed from LPS and the Town.
2
4. Enhancing social-emotional intelligence and building resiliency leads to higher quality
education and better performance
• If the emotional intelligence of students is enhanced, through programs such as those
based on Social Emotional Learning, they will be more successful.
5. It is critical to improve identification of youth at risk and provide support services for them
and their families
• When youth and their families are experiencing problems, they should have access to
quality services.
6. Changing the culture and climate for youth requires building awareness and engaging in
community discussion and education
• Coming together can make a difference. Other communities have successfully brought
town services, schools, parents, and community groups together to address stress,
e.g. Newton, Needham, Bedford, and Winchester.
3
II. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Leadership and Organization
a) Designate senior leaders in both the Lexington Public Schools and town government to manage programs to
reduce stress, build resiliency, and provide services for youth at risk.
b) Establish collaborative working groups within the LPS system and between the schools and town government,
as well as a town-wide working group comprised of community leaders, to develop a coordinated approach.
Schools Town Government Community*
▪Hire or designate a senior LPS administrator with the
organizational authority to mobilize initiatives in the
classroom, guidance, social services, and Professional
Learning in order to lead district-wide effo rts to build
youth resiliency, reduce youth stress, and provide
services for youth at risk
▪Create a district-wide Stress Reduction and Resiliency
Working Group, chaired by the senior LPS
administrator that includes administrators, principals,
guidance, wellness, special education staff, and
classroom teachers, to develop new initiatives in the
schools, share information among schools about their
programs, and assess the effectiveness of these
efforts
▪Form an on-site working group within each school
chaired by the principal or assistant principal to find
ways to reduce stress, build resiliency, and improve
the school climate
▪Hire or designate a Director of Youth Services within
the Department of Human Services responsible for
overseeing and coordinating services to youth
▪Create a Committee for Lexington Youth, co-chaired
by the Director of Youth Services and designated LPS
lead administrator and comprised of youth, school,
town, and community leaders, to promote and
develop programs aimed at building resiliency,
reducing stress, and providing counseling and support
services to youth at risk
▪Hire counseling staff or contract with a community
counseling agency to assist the Director in providing
counseling and support services, staffing the Youth
Center, and developing community education
programming for youth and parents
▪Under the auspices of the Committee for Lexington
Youth Working Group, recruit leaders from
community groups, such as PTA/PTO’s, religious and
civic organizations, and social service, and healthcare
providers, to form a Community Resources for Youth
Working G roup with the aim of mobilizing
community resources to build resiliency, reduce
stress, and provide community-based services for
youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working Group
would develop and organize community forums,
education programs, and town-wide events aimed at
promoting discussion and educating the community
on social and emotional health, reducing stress, and
supporting youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working Group
will act as a liaison in order to coordinate the
community education programs and forums for youth
and families offered by various community groups
* Community includes the community-at-large (parents, students, community members) as well as community organizations such as PTOs and PTAs, health service providers
(social workers, physicians, mental health providers), youth counseling and prevention organizations (LYFS , Wayside ), civic youth groups (Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts), faith-based
youth groups (all church/temple/mosque youth groups), community-based education booster groups (FOLMADS, LEF), youth-based community not-for-profits and businesses
(ArtSpan, LACS, Dance Inn), community-based organizations (Rotary, Lion), community businesses and professionals (retailers, independent professionals), and other ancillary
quasi-public organizations (library, Hayden, Lexington Community Education, colleges).
4
2. Help students and youth build resiliency, enhance social-emotional intelligence, manage stress, create balance
in their lives, and improve overall wellness.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Expand, initiate and coordinate evidence-based
Social-Emotional Learning programs with the aim of
ensuring consistency, continuity, and alignment of SEL
efforts K-12
▪Implement programs to teach children how to
manage emotions, stress, anxiety, and build resiliency
▪Expand Professional Learning for teachers on how to
create pro-social classrooms, and help students
manage stress and build resiliency
▪Evaluate effectiveness of current programs and
consider alternative approaches for reducing stress
and building resiliency at all levels, e.g. morning
meeting time, intervention/exploratory blocks, LHS
extended homerooms
▪Initiate pilot programs and expand existing initiatives
to integrate mindfulness-based stress reduction
practices into all schools
▪Offer and expand wellness program for teachers and
staff to reduce and manage their own stress
▪Reinstate health education in elementary schools and
increase frequency of health and wellness programs
in middle and high school
▪Develop and encourage ways to foster personal
connections and mentorship opportunities between
teachers/staff and individual students
▪Enable the peer leadership program to expand by
providing additional staff resources
▪Increase number and access to yoga classes in middle
and high school
▪Establish a Youth Center (possibly at the Lexington
Community Center) operated by youth themselves
and a Youth Center Board comprised of adults and
youth to provide administration and support for the
Youth Center
▪Provide free or low-cost access to stress relieving
activities, such as yoga, recreation, and art, through
the Town, the Community Center, the Youth Center,
and other sites
▪Provide online listings of both town-sponsored and
outside resources in the community for stress
management, health, and wellness
▪Work with community and business leaders to engage
youth in community service programs including
interning and mentoring programs
▪Organize community forums and education programs
coordinated by the Community Resources for Youth
Working Group on topics such as:
• social-emotional learning and building resiliency
• mindfulness-based stress reduction approaches
• stress-relief techniques and activities
• role of sleep in learning and mood regulation,
good sleep hygiene to improve well-being
• how to balance academic achievement and
emotional well-being
• improving work-family balance
▪Work with local business and community groups to
offer wellness programs for parents and youth
▪Work with town youth services to establish
community peer leadership and peer mentor
programs for teens that complement in-school peer
leadership programs
▪Develop a parent's guide to social-emotional learning
and educate parents on ways to complement social-
emotional learning practices from school with their
children at home
▪Support community events sponsored by the town,
businesses and community organizations that
promote social connection, family-centered fun,
relaxation, and stress-relief, e.g. Discovery Day
5
3. Examine ways to reduce sources of unnecessary and unhealthy stress for students and youth, including academic,
extracurricular, social, peer, family, societal, or internal pressures.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Establish best practices for homework through
teacher groups and PLCs, and provide Professional
Learning for teachers on homework best practices
▪Revise district and school workload policies and
guidelines, e.g. review workload, vacation policies,
respites from homework, scheduling of multiple
tests/projects
▪Examine and consider altering LHS course offerings,
levels, and sequences in specific areas where
alternative options would provide more appropriate
choices for students, e.g. adding honors levels where
needed, developmental readiness for Grade 10 AP
courses, science course preparation
▪Offer greater choice and flexibility of course options
in middle and high school so students can closely
align classes to their ability levels and interests, e.g.
electives that appeal to student interests, alternatives
for required classes
▪Define consistent and clear recommendation
procedures for courses in middle and high school to
ensure proper placement
▪Examine ways the schools can assist, inform, and
educate students and families in making balanced
choices for course selection; provide information on
course expectations and workload to students in
advance
▪Teach time management and executive functioning
skills to students in middle and high school
▪Explore and evaluate implementing a later start time
for LHS
▪Create a comprehensive town website for youth
services that includes information and resources for
reducing stress and building resiliency
▪Work with community groups to institute town-wide
campaigns, such as managing digital media exposure
("unplugged week"), good sleep hygiene, meeting-
free and homework-free days, to reduce stress and
promote in-person, social interaction
▪Offer information on health and wellness topics, e.g.
alcohol and other drugs, sleep, social media through
the website, social media, and written material.
▪Partner with schools to coordinate community-wide
programs on bullying, dating violence, Internet safety,
alcohol and other drug use
▪Organize community forums and education
programs, coordinated by the Committee Resources
for Youth, on sources of stress that can be minimized
or avoided. Possible topics include:
• peer pressures/competition
• cyber-bullying
• social media
• over-scheduling
• sleep deprivation
• how to balance academics, activities, social life,
family life
• college application process and its role in driving
student stress
• how early student stress starts and how to
prevent it
▪Organize parent-teen discussion events to talk about
sources of stress and what can be done to reduce
stress in students' lives
▪Hold peer discussion groups with students in the
Youth Center, religious youth groups, and other
community youth groups to talk about their own
sources of stress and how to reduce stress in their
lives
▪Expand efforts to reduce teen engagement in
unhealthy stress coping strategies, such as caffeine,
alcohol, marijuana and other drug use
▪Support community activities and events aimed at
reducing stress, e.g. unplugged week, meeting-
free/homework-free days
6
4. Identify youth at risk, provide support services, and improve coordination of services and referrals between
schools, town, and community.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Enhance identification and support services for
students with emotional and mental health concerns
(anxiety, stress, depression, psychological issues) at all
grade levels
▪Hire additional guidance counselors or social workers
in elementary schools to provide a balance of
preventive and responsive services
▪Create additional preventive support programs in
middle schools and at LHS for students with anxiety,
stress-related, psychological, emotional or mental
health issues (apart from TLP, Alpha, and SPED) This
may help offload cases that end up in SPED
▪Ensure continuity of support services as students
transition in the system from one school level to the
next
▪Develop Professional Learning programs and
delineate protocols for identifying students who
exhibit signs of stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal
thoughts, or risky behavior
▪Partner with the Town and community providers to
identify resources for school personnel to make
referrals and do follow-up coordination
▪Put information stickers on bathroom doors about
symptoms of depression and anxiety; suggest talking
to doctor, guidance counselor or help line for advice
▪Plan and implement a community-wide youth suicide
prevention program developed by a task force of
adults and youth representing the schools and
community
▪Develop and implement a town protocol for suicide
prevention and response to a youth suicide
▪Provide free, accessible individual and family
counseling and support services to youth and
families through a contracted community counseling
agency or town youth services staff
▪Provide counseling and support groups for at-risk
youth involved in alcohol and other drug abuse,
harassment, bullying, dating violence, including those
referred by police, schools, clergy and others
▪Provide outreach programs to at-risk youth, including
peer leadership programs at the Youth Center,
designed to reach out to at-risk youth and enhance
self-esteem
▪Designate a town coordinator or a contracted
community youth counseling agency to be the
community resource for school personnel to make
referrals for at-risk students
▪Provide an online directory of free and low cost
mental health services and private mental health
providers in the community
▪Develop programs through a youth-run website and
social media to reach out to at-risk and disconnected
youth and to provide information to prevent suicide,
dating violence, harassment
▪Work with the schools and community to provide
prevention programs, such as the Child Assault
Prevention Program (CAPP), to younger children and
parents
▪Present results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) to parents and the community in a public
forum and publish the full report on the town and
youth operated websites
▪Review YRBS and other data to identify problem
areas, triggers, and risk factors for youth
▪ Train and educate adults (parents, educators, service
providers, youth groups) to recognize signs of excess
stress, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, mental health
issues, self-injurious and risky behaviors
▪Provide peer training programs for teens,
coordinated with the schools, on what to do, how to
get help in situations of risky or harmful behavior, e.g.
signs of self-harm, suicidal behavior, drug use, anxiety
▪Distribute information online and in print to the
community on what to do and how to get help in
risky or harmful situations
▪Work to de-stigmatize the act of seeking counseling
and support
▪Provide parent education and support groups aimed
at prevention of suicide, substance abuse, sexual
abuse, domestic violence, self-destructive behavior
▪Engage community groups, cultural organizations,
faith-based youth groups, civic youth groups to do
outreach for youth at risk and their families
▪Engage mental health and medical professionals in
the community to advise and work with schools,
clergy and town services
▪Solicit community support, including financial
support, for mental health services for youth and
families
7
5. Community Education and Changing the Culture
a) Build awareness and ongoing discussion through parent and community education activities
b) Work together to change the culture and climate in schools, at home, and in the community in ways that
help reduce stress and build resiliency
Schools Town Government Community
▪Encourage school leaders to make reducing stress a
priority in the school culture; engage teachers/staff
▪Improve the school climate and culture by identifying
ways to reduce competitiveness, shift the focus more
on learning rather than grades, recognizing non-
academic and collective accomplishments
▪Reduce peer-to-peer competition through more
collaborative learning projects and group grading
▪Make substantial improvements in communication to
parents at the district and individual school level
about school programs to reduce stress and build
resiliency including use of websites, social media
▪Facilitate school-home partnership by establishing
guidelines for parents on communication with school
staff and providing workshops for staff on working
with families
▪Encourage development of student-run supports for
stress, e.g. peer groups, advice columns, clubs,
acknowledgment of student voices
▪Hire teachers and staff to reflect the diversity of the
student population in order to enhance opportunities
for adult mentorship and guidance to students of
different cultures, orientations, and backgrounds
▪Provide Professional Learning to help teachers and
staff understand the diverse backgrounds of students
in order to help them support the social-emotional
needs of students
▪Continue good work towards developing positive
relationships between youth and police, fire, and
library who are seen as a resource for youth at risk
▪Increase visibility of Town services and efforts to
serve youth at risk
▪Offer more non-competitive recreational sports and
activities
▪Publicize public events and forums as well as
resources and services available to youth
▪Create a Teen Youth Summer Internship for teens to
volunteer to work with Youth Services staff and assist
in planning of community forums
▪Increase support for coaches and recreation staff in
their efforts to build positive relationships with at-risk
youth and relieve unhealthy stress in general among
teens
▪Establish partnerships with businesses and
companies for job shadowing, internships, and
mentoring
▪Organize community forums and education programs
coordinated by Community Resources for Youth on
topics such as:
• open discussion on “what the community wants”
• how to redefine success
• societal, parental expectations and its effect on
students
• how to balance a high-achievement culture with
stress on students
• open dialog between parents and children/teens
about stress
• discuss possible solutions and actions
▪Organize events such as Youth Summits that bring
together teens, parents, town, and community to
address concerns of teens and stress
▪Initiate parenting workshops, a “Parent University”,
or book groups around stress and parenting topics
▪Utilize the resources and expertise of local healthcare
and mental health professionals to work with schools,
community, and youth groups
▪Encourage community youth programs, counseling
programs, mental health professionals, faith-based
youth groups to work together and coordinate
programs
▪Create a family-friendly environment in schools and
community, e.g. inter-generational activities,
improved communication, translation services
▪Continue and expand community efforts focusing on
the social-emotional and mental health needs of the
diverse student population, e.g. Lexington Asian
Mental Health Initiative
8
6. Reach out to find networking opportunities and other resources
Schools Town Government Community
▪Reach out to and learn from other school districts
grappling with the same issues
▪Review data and outcomes in school systems that
have instituted programs or changes
▪Join a network of schools, collaborate or partner with
universities or other community programs
▪Look into research programs and findings related to
stress
▪Hire a grant writer to solicit funding from SAMHSA,
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, CHNA15,
Foundation for Metrowest, and others.
▪Review efforts in other towns to learn how to best
structure services, communication, and engagement
with the community
▪Review accomplishments in other communities, e.g.
Needham, Newton, Bedford, Winchester, in
implementing programs to reduce stress and prevent
suicide and violence
▪ Engage businesses and companies to match students
with mentors, shadowing opportunities
7. Create a joint Follow-up Task Force with representatives from the schools, town, and community to monitor
implementation of these recommendations and to make periodic reports on progress.
9
III. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
Stress among Youth
Chronically high levels of stress, along with ineffective coping strategies, are well-known
contributors to poor physical, mental, and social health. Of particular concern today is the rising
prevalence of unhealthy stress among our youth. According to a recent national survey by the
American Psychological Association (APA, 2014), teens now report feeling stressed at levels rivaling
that of adults, and at levels far above what is believed to be healthy.
Some stress, if time-limited, can be helpful for boosting mental and physical performance
(Carmichael, 2009), and stress is a fact of modern life for which our youth should be prepared.
However, chronically high stress levels contribute to youth suicide, depression, anxiety, violence,
substance abuse, poor physical health and growth, and poorer performance on tests (Lepore et al.,
1997; McEwen 1998).
The increase in unhealthy stress among youth today is especially alarming in light of the growing
scientific evidence showing that the brain continues to undergo critical maturation throughout
adolescence into the early 20’s (Giedd et al., 1999), and chronic stress can harm the developing
brain in areas critical for memory formation and executive functions (e.g., decision-making,
organization, impulse control), with potentially life-long implications. (Arnsten & Shansky, 2004;
Evans & Schamberg, 2009; Boston, 2009).
Our Youth in Lexington are At Risk
The situation in Lexington is no exception, as it is for many communities with high academic
standards. The three recent suicides among students in Newton (Ishkanian, 2014) and the recent
suicide of a 2013 LHS graduate highlight the very real danger to our youth in Lexington of
community inaction and complacency around addressing this pressing problem. According to the
biennial Lexington High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey:
1. Lexington students are at risk for suicide
• A full 55 LHS students reported having attempted suicide in the past 12 months, up from
51 in 2011
• The percentage of students reporting having seriously considered attempting suicide in
the past 12 months is at the highest levels in a decade (see Figure below). In 2013, about
1 in 7 (15%) students overall reported seriously considering suicide, a figure similar to
the national rate (17%) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
• The factors predicting the greatest increased risk for considering suicide among LHS
students include: (a) being female, in the older grades, (b) being of Asian/South Asian
ethnicity, (c) reporting higher stress related to classes and planning for the future, (d)
being of sexual minority, and (e) having experienced harassment at school or related to
school.
10
• Of particular note is that the strongest predictor of suicidal ideation was having been
harassed in school or related to school. Having been harassed conferred a 300% increase
in the odds of considering attempting suicide, compared to an 85% increase for the next
most predictive factor (being Asian/South Asian).
2. Lexington students experience extreme amounts of academic stress and competition
• The majority of students consistently report homework and academic classes among
their top stressors.
60% reported “extreme” or “a lot” of stress due to school
96% reported stress due to homework, with 16% reporting “extreme” stress
32% agreed or strongly agreed that difficulties were piling up so high that they could
not overcome them
35% reported they could not cope with all of the things that they have to do
These numbers illustrate how toxic and unrelenting the stress level has become for
many Lexington youth.
• A consistent theme in the LHS Youth Risk Behavior Survey data is how much the culture
of competitiveness in Lexington plays a role in student stress and disconnection.
The vast majority (83%) of students either agreed or strongly agreed that the
atmosphere at LHS and in the town encourages students to compete academically
with each other.
Over half (52%) reported that there was a lot of back-stabbing at school. Nearly 40%
of students reported that bullying occurred often or very often at LHS, and 30%
disagreed with the statements “I feel close to people at my school” and “I feel like I
11
am part of my school.” Experiencing such harassment was also a strong predictor of
reporting higher stress related to school.
• Unfortunately, 62% of students reported feeling that the majority of teachers at LHS
were unaware of their stress level.
3. Stress can lead to negative coping strategies and risky behavior
• Use of negative strategies to cope with stress is high among our youth.
Nearly 1 in 6 (13%) reported self-injurious behaviors in the past 12 months such as
cutting, burning, or bruising
Over half (55%) endorsed drinking alcohol as a means to cope with stress.
Half reported past-30-day drinking, a rate substantially higher than the state (36%) or
nation as a whole (35%) (CDC, 2014)
Fully one-quarter reported binge drinking (5+ drinks on a single occasion) in the past
30 days
• Exacerbating the stress and inability to cope is insufficient sleep, with 46% of students
reporting getting an average of 6 or fewer hours of sleep on school nights, while the
National Sleep Foundation recommends 8.5-9.5 hours for growing teens.
• When youth are exhausted and stressed, they are also more likely to be tempted to
engage in dishonest academic behaviors. In 2013, 80% of students reported having
copied other students’ homework and papers, 31% having used electronic devices to
cheat, and 35% having cut and pasted materials from the Internet without proper
attribution.
Stress is Affecting Younger Children
Stress has a negative impact not just on teens, but it affects younger children as well. The principals
and staff in our Lexington elementary schools are seeing an increase in the number of young
children who are experiencing anxiety. The pressures upon children can start early in some cases,
including over-scheduling, pressures to excel in academics and extracurricular activities, outside
tutoring, academic or enrichment programs, high expectations, and the quest for perfection. Some
children show signs of stress-related difficulties, such as school avoidance or changes in behavior,
while others internalize the feelings. The schools also have children with other emotional,
psychological or behavioral issues who need intervention and support. Oftentimes, children who
show signs of emotional issues in elementary school, later have more serious problems when they
reach high school.
Therefore, it is vital to recognize that stress can affect younger children, and that efforts to prevent
stress-related concerns, as well as efforts to build resiliency and social-emotional intelligence, must
start early.
12
IV. WHO WE ARE
The Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk
In 2013, the Lexington School Committee formed the Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk to
address concerns regarding Lexington youth aged 3 to 22 whose mental or physical health is at risk
because of unhealthy stress originating from physical, emotional, social, cultural, and academic
sources that may adversely affect them and their families. Members of the School Committee
elected to create the Ad Hoc Committee because of its own concern for the effects of stress on
students, as well as its acknowledgment of concerns expressed by the community. The Ad Hoc
Committee for Youth at Risk was charged by the School Committee “with recommending policies,
goals and programs to address the issue of youth at risk due to stress”.
When the School Committee established the Ad Hoc Committee, it noted that this is a community
issue that transcends the schools and which requires a collaborative response by the community as
a whole. Therefore, the Ad Hoc Committee was constituted to include representatives from not
only the Lexington Public Schools (administration,
teachers, principals), but also from a Lexington
community-based program serving youth at risk,
concerned community groups, parents of Lexington
students, Lexington students, a Lexington-based
therapist, and a community business leader, as well
as liaisons from the School Committee and School
Guidance. Other parties who were invited but did
not participate included liaisons from the Youth
Services Council, the Lexington Human Services
Department, the Human Services Committee, the
Lexington Health Department, the Lexington Police
Department, the Town Recreation Department, and
the Board of Selectmen.
The Ad Hoc Committee which was established as a
one-year committee met monthly, and later weekly,
from November 2013 through November 2014. Its
work culminates with the submission of this report
and a companion presentation to the School
Committee.
Ad Hoc Committee for Youth At Risk
Members Representing
Laurie Atwater Business
William Blout, co-chair Therapists
Katie Boudreau Teachers
Linda Chase School Administration
Constance Counts Community Programs
Tammy Darling Teachers
Adam Goldberg School Principals
Sion Kim Harris Parents
Eileen Jay Parents
Serena Luo Students
Alana Martel Students
Ann Redmon Community Groups
BJ Rudman, co-chair Community Groups
Valerie Viscosi School Administration
Liaisons
Alessandro Alessandrini School Committee
Margaret Coppe School Committee
Tessa Riley Clare School Guidance
Kathleen Cardona PTO
Bettina McGimsey PTO
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V. WHAT WE DID
Our Framework
As its first step, the Committee wanted to review and obtain information about programs, services,
and practices that already exist to support youth and families in Lexington. We needed to develop a
framework for gathering information about existing services and programs, and collecting
recommendations and ideas for needed services.
We constructed the model (below) that includes three aspects from primary prevention to
intervention to serve our youth, i.e., (1) Prevention (aimed at the general population), (2)
Identification (aimed at a selected population), and (3) Support (aimed at youth at risk). The model
also acknowledges the widening circle of people – from youth to families to schools to community –
that need to work together to help our youth.
14
Information Gathering
To identify what is currently being done in the schools and community, and to gather ideas for what
more can be done, the Committee:
(1) gathered information on current programs and activities being provided by the schools
aimed at reducing stress and building resiliency for students, as well as services for youth at
risk. We developed a questionnaire to be completed by the Principal of each school using
the Survey Monkey online tool. The Principals were asked to both describe all of the current
efforts in their schools to prevent and reduce unhealthy stress and build resiliency, and to
offer any ideas and suggestions they might have on additional steps that should be taken.
We then had follow-up meetings with the Principals of all nine schools (or an Assistant
Principal, in one case) as well as with teachers and staff to explore some of these questions
in more detail.
(2) used a similar approach, although not the online tool, to learn about activities and
programs in the community. Questionnaires were given or sent to various town and
community entities including private practitioners, physicians, and community groups. We
also met with Charlotte Rogers, Emily Lavine, and Matt Ryan in the town Department of
Human Services, as well as with the Youth Services Council and the Human Services
Committee.
(3) learned about what is being done in comparable communities such as Needham and
Newton (both of these communities have had to deal with a series of student suicides). We
met with the Directors of Youth Services in Newton, Bedford, Needham and Winchester, the
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Needham and the
Superintendent of Schools in Weston.
(4) did literature searches on sites like CASEL and Challenge Success to better understand
the current research and evidence-based recommendations regarding student stress. The
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a national organization
whose mission is to help make evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) an
integral part of education. Challenge Success is a research-based organization from Stanford
University that provides schools and families with information and strategies to create a
more balanced and academically fulfilling life for children.
In addition to gathering information, Committee members held numerous discussions about issues
and concerns related to stress on youth. Based on these discussions, the input received from those
we interviewed or surveyed, and our own understanding of the issue, we drafted the
recommendations contained herein.
15
Existing Programs and Efforts in Schools, Town, and Community
The Schools
It should be emphasized that there are noteworthy efforts already being undertaken throughout
the Lexington Public Schools to reduce student stress, build resiliency, and to identify and provide
services to youth at risk. These efforts need to be supplemented, intensified, and coordinated so
that all of the students benefit from them.
Current programs and efforts include SEL-based programs like Open Circle, Responsive Classroom
and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in the elementary schools and Rachel's
Challenge in the middle schools. Health education classes, which emphasize developing and
applying critical thinking skills to real life challenges, are taught at both the middle and high schools.
The K-12 Prevention Program includes a Peer Educator Initiative which increases youth awareness
of important health and wellness issues such as alcohol and drug use, other risky behaviors,
decision making skills, and peer pressure. Efforts are also being made at LHS and other schools to
improve the climate and assess how homework practices can be improved. In addition, mindfulness
practice has been initiated by some teachers and schools with support from the Lexington
Education Foundation (LEF). The Therapeutic Learning Programs (TLP) at the middle schools and
high school serve students who need support for emotional and behavioral issues. The Alpha
Program at the high school is a very successful re-entry program for students who have been
hospitalized, and similar programs are being planned for the middle schools.
The School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) provides an effective forum for educators, health
professionals, parents, and community group representatives to discuss issues, programs, and
services for the physical and emotional well-being of students. There may well be other programs
and initiatives in the schools but, as noted elsewhere is this report, what is being done throughout
the District is very poorly communicated to parents and the community.
The Town
Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents
The town funds two staff positions, one full-time and one part-time, within the Human Services
Department. The full-time social worker (LICSW), the Assistant Director of Youth and Family
Services, provides crisis intervention, information and referral, and support services for youth at
risk. The part-time, Youth Program Coordinator, provides some prevention and group work to
middle school students. Both positions are currently vacant but a hiring process is underway.
This year the Board of Health received a CHNA15 grant to provide prevention programs in the
community. Working with the Prevention Services Coordinator at Lexington Youth and Family
Services (LYFS), the Mental Health First Aid program will train adults, in the community, including
police, fire and town employees to better help people with mental health issues. Some of the MHFA
programs will be training adults who work with youth.
16
Other Youth Services
The town offers Lexington other services through the Health Department, Lexington Police and Fire
Departments, the Recreation Department, and others, as well as town supported programs that
contribute to the physical, social, and emotional development and well-being of Lexington youth.
The Community
Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents
Our community has an abundance of individuals, groups, and service organizations that provide a
range of mental health and support services to youth and families. Some of these include:
• Private mental health practitioners and group practices
• Hospitals - e.g., McLean, Emerson, Mt. Auburn - inpatient, outpatient, day treatment
• Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
• Lexington Youth and Family Services
• Wayside Community Services
• The Advocates - psychiatric emergency services
• The Edinburg Center
Other Youth Services
Many individuals, groups and service organizations also provide a broad range services to youth and
families such as recreation, arts, education, health, and social activities. Some of these include:
• Cary Library
• Faith-based Youth Groups
• Lexington Interfaith Clergy Association (LICA)
• The Youth Commission
• PTO, PTSA and other parent groups
• Physicians (Pediatricians)
• Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
• The Munroe Center for the Arts
• Lexington Youth Summer Theater
• Civic Organizations (e.g., Lions, Rotary)
• Hayden Recreation Center
• Lexington Education Foundation
• Lexington Boosters
• Lexington Community Endowment
• Lexington Food Pantry
• Lexington Community Education
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VI. RECOMMENDATIONS WITH FULL NARRATIVES
The Committee's recommendations are proposed actions and efforts to be done by the schools,
town government, and the community. The full list of recommendations for all three of them is
presented in the Summary of Recommendations at the beginning of this report. In this section, we
will describe each recommendation more fully.
Because reducing stress, building resiliency, and serving youth at risk is a community issue that
requires action by the town government and the community as well as the schools, the specific
recommendations are presented in a manner that shows what each should do to implement the six
major recommendations being made. Underlying these recommendations is the need for
collaborative efforts and organizational structures that must be established to facilitate this
collaboration.
In accordance with our framework, some recommendations are aimed at (1) prevention for the
general population to help youth and families reduce and manage stress, build resiliency, and
prevent serious consequences and outcomes from unhealthy stress. Meanwhile, other
recommendations focus on (2) identification of youth who show signs of being at risk, including
emotional, physical or psychological difficulties, or risky behavior, and (3) providing support services
for youth at risk who already do or would potentially engage in risky or harmful behavior.
OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Addressing student stress and risky behavior requires community engagement. It is an
issue that needs the involvement of the town, schools, parents, and the community.
2. Enhancing social and emotional intelligence builds resilience in youth, increases pro-
social behavior, and leads to greater success academically, socially, and personally.
3. We need to find ways to help reduce sources of unnecessary and unhealthy stress for
youth whenever possible, including academic, extracurricular, peer, family, and societal
sources of stress.
4. If we can redefine success in a way that is not just achievement-oriented, young people
will have more avenues for feeling successful and accomplished.
5. Reducing stress for students will not compromise academic achievement; rather, less
stress may improve academic performance.
6. Young people need to learn how to create balance in their lives and make healthy choices,
including not overloading themselves, eating well, getting adequate sleep.
7. Our youth are affected by the attitudes, behavior, and values around them, so by
changing the culture and climate in schools, at home, and in the community, they can
learn to reduce stress and make better choices.
8. It is vital to identify youth at risk and provide support and resources in the town, schools,
and community to serve their needs.
18
The Need for Strong, Visible Leadership
Addressing this issue – reducing unhealthy student stress, building the resiliency of our youth,
preventing risky behaviors, and providing services to youth and families at risk – requires visible and
effective leadership – in the school system, by town government, and in the community.
While many acknowledge there is a serious problem in Lexington, there is no leader in the schools,
no leader in town government, and no effective organizational vehicle in the community for
mobilizing its considerable resources.
A successful effort will take time – information needs to be provided, attitudes and behaviors
changed, programs initiated - and this in turn requires ongoing leadership.
In the schools, for the past several years, an explicit written priority for the District has been to
“Increase student pro-social behavior and resiliency and reduce sources of unhealthy student
stress”. Yet it is not clear all that is being done to meet this goal, what has been tried, what has
worked, what has not worked, what has been learned, what is planned for the future. We know
there are some exemplary efforts – notably by Jennifer Wolfrum and Julie Fenn primarily at the high
school – and noteworthy programs in many of the elementary and middle schools – Open Circle,
Responsive Classroom and PBIS. Additional activities are mentioned in individual school
improvement plans.
But there is no clear, comprehensible picture of what is being accomplished throughout the District.
While we have met with virtually all of the school principals, we are still not sure we have a
complete view of what’s being done. Nor is there a clear vision or plan of where the District wants
to go in meeting this priority.
RECOMMENDATION #1
Leadership and Organization
a) Designate senior leaders in both the Lexington Public Schools and town
government to manage programs to reduce stress, build resiliency, and provide
services for youth at risk.
b) Establish collaborative working groups within the LPS system and between
the schools and town government, as well as a town-wide working group
comp rised of community leaders, to develop a coordinated approach.
Recommendation #1 SCHOOLS
19
This reflects the lack of organizational clarity on who is responsible district wide, to the School
Committee, for the achievement of this goal. Who is leading this effort? Who is accountable? Who
is ensuring an ongoing focus? Who is advocating and mobilizing resources district wide?
Designate senior administrator to lead district
effort. A senior administrator should be
designated by the Superintendent to lead the
district-wide effort to research, plan, execute,
and assess initiatives throughout the district. The
Superintendent should have this person report to
the School Committee on a regular (perhaps
quarterly) basis and ensure a systematic and
comprehensive communications effort to inform
the community about what is being done and
planned. Our recommendations entail initiatives
in the classroom, guidance, social services, and
Professional Learning, as well as the faculty /staff
wellness program, so this person should have the
necessary organizational “clout” to mobilize
efforts through the LPS system. He/she should
also be able to work closely with the Assistant
Superintendent for Human Resources to make
stress reduction and resiliency building a
significant part of the LPS Employee Wellness
Program. While this is of course the
Superintendent’s prerogative, we strongly
recommend that whomever he designates should
be at the Assistant Superintendent level in the
LPS Central Office. This leader may well require
additional resource support.
Create district-wide Stress Reduction and Resiliency Working Group. This leader should chair a
district-wide Stress Reduction and Resiliency Working Group, consisting of principals,
administrators, guidance, wellness and special education staff, and classroom teachers. This
Working Group, which could meet monthly, will share information and ideas among schools about
what is being tried, what has been learned, what is being planned; identify new programs and
initiatives that can be tried; and monitor the effectiveness of the various efforts. This group should
consider utilizing a consultant experienced in implementing district-wide SEL programs. This
organizational model is logical and based on what apparently has been a successful effort in
Needham.
A particularly important aspect of the leader’s job is to ensure the effective communication of
current and comprehensive information to the community on activities and plans with regard to
meeting this priority. At this point, from looking at the LPS website, there is no way to know that
Recommendation #1
Schools
▪Hire or designate a senior LPS administrator with
the organizational authority to mobilize initiatives
in the classroom, guidance, social services, and
Professional Learning in order to lead district-wide
efforts to build youth resiliency, reduce youth
stress, and provide services for youth at risk
▪Create a district-wide Stress Reduction and
Resiliency Working Group, chaired by the senior
LPS administrator that includes administrators,
principals, guidance, wellness, special education
staff, and classroom teachers, to develop new
initiatives in the schools, share information among
schools about their programs, and assess the
effectiveness of these efforts
▪Form an on-site working group within each
school, chaired by the principal or assistant
principal, to find ways to reduce stress, build
resiliency, and improve the school climate
20
increasing student pro-social behavior and resiliency and reducing sources of unhealthy student
stress is a priority for the school system much less to learn what programs and activities are being
undertaken to achieve this priority. There are many good efforts throughout the system – about
which many Lexington parents and residents would be interested in learning -- but there is no
straightforward way for them to do this. As an example of what could be done in Lexington, we
recommend that the leader look at the portion of the Needham Public School website concerning
their Social and Emotional Learning program -- http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/sel/index.htm
Form an on-site working group in each school. Within each individual school, it would be beneficial
to form an on-site working group in order to find ways to reduce stress, build resiliency, and
improve the school climate. These groups should be chaired by the principal or assistant principal
and could include teachers, guidance, social work and/or health and wellness staff, classroom aides
and other staff who work with students. The on-site groups would share ideas and implement
changes to school programs and practices that best suit the needs of the school.
Hire a Director of Youth Services. For Town
Government, the hiring of a "Youth Services
Coordinator" ten years ago marked the first time
that the Town of Lexington funded a position
devoted exclusively to working with youth.
Adjacent communities, e.g., Arlington, Burlington,
Bedford, have funded youth service positions
providing prevention and intervention programs
for at risk youth for more than 30 years. The
budget and staffing for these critical services are
three or four times larger than ours.
We believe the town administration needs to
provide strong leadership to address the needs of
our at-risk youth. Most important, the needs of
youth must be viewed as a "community problem"
– not a "school problem."
Therefore we recommend hiring or designating a
single full-time position of leadership - a "Director
of Youth Services" whose primary responsibility
will be to lead a coordinated community effort to
provide prevention and intervention services to
Lexington youth and families.
Recommendation #1
Town Government
▪Hire or designate a Director of Youth Services
within the Department of Human Services
responsible for overseeing and coordinating
services to youth
▪Create a Committee for Lexington Youth, co-
chaired by the Director of Youth Services and
designated LPS lead administrator and comprised
of youth, school, town, and community leaders, to
promote and develop programs aimed at building
resiliency, reducing stress, and providing
counseling and support services to youth at risk
▪Hire counseling staff or contract with a community
counseling agency to assist the Director in
providing counseling and support services, staffing
the Youth Center, and developing community
education programming for youth and parents
Recommendation #1 TOWN GOVERNMENT
21
Create a Committee for Lexington Youth. The Committee for Lexington Youth, co-chaired by the
Director of Youth Services and the designated LPS lead administrator, will facilitate a comprehensive
and coordinated effort by the town and the schools to promote and develop programs aimed at
building resiliency, reducing stress, and providing counseling and support services to youth at risk.
Coordination between the schools and town in developing and delivering services for Lexington’s
youth is critical. This coordination will ensure that the programs in the town and schools
complement and reinforce each other, are more cost-effective and not duplicated, and are
comprehensive in scope. This Committee will also work with the Community Resources for Youth
Working Group (see below) to mobilize the substantial community resources that are available to
serve youth and ensure that they complement the services provided by the town and the schools.
The two co-chairs, working together and with the support of the community, will be responsible for
managing the Committee’s overall effort.
Provide counseling and support services for youth. Free and accessible counseling and support
services are needed for our youth. These services could be provided directly by the town or
contracted for and provided by a youth service agency. In our interview with Charlotte Rodgers,
Director of Human Services, a position created six years ago, she offered her belief that it may not
be a good idea for a town employee to provide counseling services to youth at risk. We concur. In
fact, some other communities with robust youth services do not provide direct services to youth
through the town administration, but rather contract for those services with local youth agencies.
This was the model for the town-supported non-profit youth service agency, RePlace, Inc., for more
than twenty years until 2003. We think this model should be re-considered.
We were struck by the fact that the social/emotional needs of our youth seem to be largely
unpublicized by the town. For example, we could not find the YRBS information - specifically that
over 15% of the students at LHS reported that they had seriously considered suicide last year and
55 LHS students tried to kill themselves - anywhere on the town website. This is in marked contrast
to other communities where information about youth risky behavior is displayed prominently on
the town and schools websites.
An important theme throughout all our recommendations is a call for robust involvement of key
community groups and individuals to work closely with the schools and town in providing
prevention and intervention youth services.
We recommend the immediate creation of a community leadership group called the "Community
Resources for Youth Working Group". Operating under the town's Committee for Lexington Youth,
this group will closely coordinate its efforts with school and town programs to provide community-
based services to both the general youth population and youth at risk. Members, both adult and
youth, would be concerned individuals drawn from groups such as PTO, physicians, mental health
Recommendation #1 COMMUNITY
22
providers, civic organizations, civic clubs, school-
based clubs, faith-based organizations, quasi-
public and non-profit organizations (e.g., Cary
Library, Munroe Center for the Arts), and local
businesses.
Lexington is a town rich in human resources.
People with renowned expertise, knowledge, and
skills live in Lexington and many already devote
countless hours to our youth. We have found that
many youth programs and services sponsored by
community groups are not integrated into an
overall community plan or coordinated with other
services that would enhance their reach and
effectiveness.
The Community Resources for Youth Working
Group will provide leadership and direction from
the community to identify needed youth services
and coordinate community programs with school
and town services.
In addition, the Community Resources for Youth
Working Group will develop and organize
community forums, education programs, and town-wide events aimed at promoting discussion and
educating the community on social and emotional health, reducing stress, and supporting youth at
risk. It can also act as a liaison in order to coordinate the community education programs and
forums for youth and families offered by various community groups.
Recommendation #1
Community*
▪Under the auspices of the Committee for Lexington
Youth, recruit leaders from community groups,
such as PTA/PTO’s, religious and civic organizations,
and social service and healthcare providers, to
form a Community Resources for Youth Working
Group with the aim of mobilizing community
resources to build resiliency, reduce stress, and
provide community-based services for youth at risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working
Group will develop and organize community
forums, education programs, and town-wide
events aimed at promoting discussion and
educating the community on social and emotional
health, reducing stress, and supporting youth at
risk
▪The Community Resources for Youth Working
Group will act as a liaison in order to coordinate
the community education programs and forums for
youth and families offered by various community
groups
23
Continuity and alignment of Social-Emotional
Learning Programs. There has been much work
done in the schools to help students and youth to
build resiliency, enhance social-emotional
intelligence, manage stress, create balance in
their lives, and improve overall wellness. Our
committee's major recommendation is to expand
current social and emotional learning (SEL)
opportunities within the schools.
SEL is the process through which children and
adults acquire and effectively apply the
knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to
understand and manage emotions, set and
achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for
others, establish and maintain positive
relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Social and emotional skills are critical to being a
good student, citizen, and worker; and many risky
behaviors (e.g., drug use, violence, bullying, and
dropping out) can be prevented or reduced when
multi-year, integrated efforts are used to develop
students' social and emotional skills. Effective SEL
programming begins in preschool and continues
through high school.
While the schools provide many SEL opportunities
for students, there is the need to ensure
consistency across grade levels and schools, and
continuity from one grade level to the next, from
Kindergarten through Grade 12. Some SEL
programs are provided by classroom teachers,
Recommendation #2
Schools
▪Expand, initiate and coordinate evidence-based
Social-Emotional Learning programs with aim of
ensuring consistency, continuity, and alignment of
SEL efforts K-12
▪Implement programs to teach children how to
manage emotions, stress, anxiety, and build
resiliency
▪Expand Professional Learning for teachers on how
to create pro-social classrooms, and help students
manage stress and build resiliency
▪Evaluate effectiveness of current programs and
consider alternative approaches for reducing
stress and building resiliency at all levels, e.g.
morning meeting time, intervention/exploratory
blocks, LHS extended homerooms
▪Initiate pilot programs and expand existing
initiatives to integrate mindfulness-based stress
reduction practices into all schools
▪Offer and expand wellness program for teachers
and staff to reduce and manage their own stress
▪Reinstate health education in elementary schools
and increase frequency of health and wellness
programs in middle and high school
▪Develop and encourage ways to foster personal
connections and mentorship opportunities
between teachers/staff and individual students
▪Enable the peer leadership program to expand by
providing additional staff resources
▪Increase number and access to yoga classes in
middle and high school
Recommendation #2 SCHOOLS
RECOMMENDATION #2
Help students and youth build resiliency, enhance social-emotional intelligence,
manage stress, create balance in their lives, and improve overall wellness.
24
while others are provided by the Health and Wellness, and Guidance departments, often in
conjunction with teachers and other educators.
At the elementary level, programming includes Open Circle, Mind-Up, Superflex, and Zones of
Regulation. At the middle school level, programming includes cyber-citizenship and anti-bullying
curriculum provided by the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, Rachel’s Challenge, and
other locally developed curricula. At the middle and high school, SEL curriculum is incorporated into
health classes.
Our recommendation is to expand these SEL programs and efforts in a way that ensures consistency
of their implementation across all schools in a given level, and that provides continuity and
alignment of SEL efforts from one level to the next to create an integrated K-12 program.
Professional Learning for SEL. Teachers and support staff should have additional professional
learning opportunities and supports so they can help students to learn and grow in SEL areas and
effectively employ strategies they have learned.
Evaluate current programs and consider alternative approaches. There is a need to evaluate the
current SEL programming and determine whether there should be any changes or additions. SEL
requires adequate time allocation, personnel, and resources. Often, time on learning academic
tasks leaves little consistent time for SEL. Additional personnel in the form of guidance counselors
and health educators may also be necessary to provide more SEL. At the elementary level, in
particular, the number of counselors per student is very low, which results in counselor time being
pulled toward reactive responses in acute situations, with little time left for preventive SEL.
The LPS should evaluate the effectiveness of current programs for reducing stress and building
resiliency at all levels, including morning meeting time at elementary schools, intervention/
exploratory blocks in middle schools, and extended homerooms at LHS. Teachers and staff should
evaluate the use, consistency, and effectiveness of morning meeting time in elementary schools
and intervention and exploratory blocks in middle schools. At LHS, student feedback would be
useful in evaluating programming in the extended homerooms to determine their efficacy in
helping students manage stress and build resiliency. It would also be useful to evaluate the
adequacy of training for homeroom teachers and for students who run peer-led sessions. Based on
evaluations, the schools should make improvements or consider alternative approaches for
incorporating SEL , managing stress, and building resiliency into school practice.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. Mindfulness practice is a proven and effective way
to reduce stress and enhance overall emotional health. There are teachers who are already
integrating mindfulness into their classrooms. We should build on these initiatives to expand
mindfulness practice into all of the LPS classrooms to help both teachers and students. More pilots
should be initiated. One idea that could be tried is a “mindfulness minute” at the beginning of each
class in middle and high school. For a minute, the teacher and the students will do a breathing
exercise or some other technique aimed at relaxing them so that they are better able to engage in
25
learning and better able to teach more effectively. Teachers could receive training on how to use
other mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in their classrooms.
Reinstate and increase frequency of health education. Health education is not offered in the
elementary schools, creating another disconnect between SEL opportunities at one level versus the
next. Engaging students in SEL at young ages is critical in developing their social-emotional
intelligence and building resiliency early on, and will form the foundation for their social and
emotional growth. Through health education in elementary school, students will learn to develop
healthy habits at young ages. At the middle and high school levels, allocation of counselors and
health educators, as well as student schedules, do not allow for adequate time for SEL. Adding
more health education classes will create more time for SEL and other health/wellness
programming. Therefore, we recommend that the LPS consider reinstating health education in the
elementary schools and increasing the frequency of health education classes in the middle and high
schools.
Wellness programs for staff. Expanded wellness opportunities for educators will help adults to
manage their own stress and model this behavior for students. Efforts to reduce stress for teachers
and staff will not only benefit them but will also make them more effective at teaching and helping
students.
Personal connection to an adult. Developing a personal connection with an adult in their school
can make an important difference in students' lives. When students believe that adults in the school
care about their learning and about them as individuals, they feel more connected to the school
which can contribute to reducing the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors and increasing the
likelihood of academic success. If a student has a trusted adult at school, he or she has someone to
go to when emotional, social, academic, or stress-related difficulties arise.
Establish a Youth Center. Central to this recommendation is a town-supported Youth Center: a
place for teens to go and "just be" - not a place for academic or extracurricular achievement or
recreation - but a place of acceptance, comfort, social connection, and emotional support.
The need for a youth operated youth center has long been identified as vital by many community
groups and in a survey of the young people themselves. A Youth Center can be an important tool in
reaching isolated, disconnected, at-risk youth who are having difficulties connecting in traditional
ways in school and in the community.
Recommendation #2 TOWN GOVERNMENT
26
The proven, most effective model is one of
empowerment - directly involving young people,
who might otherwise feel powerless and
hopeless, in the operation of the youth center. In
essence, the young people themselves must feel
ownership and take responsibility for its success.
(Note that this was recommended in April 2014
by the Assistant Director of Youth and Family
Services, Emily Lavine, and Matt Ryan, Youth
Program Coordinator, Lexington Human Services
Department.)
To initiate the program we recommend that a
working group of youth and adults be created to
form the foundation of a Youth Center Board. This
group, under the direction of the Director of
Youth Services, should represent various
segments of the youth adult community,
including disengaged youth who are less
connected to traditional institutions and services.
We suggest that this working group visit youth centers in other communities and consult with
people with expertise in starting and operating youth centers.
Other specific recommendations for the town government call for: (1) free or low-cost access to
stress relieving activities, such as yoga, recreation, and art through the Town, the Community
Center, the Youth Center, and other sites; (2) online listings of both town-sponsored and outside
resources in the community for stress management, health and wellness; and (3) work with
community and business leaders to engage youth in community service programs including
interning and mentoring programs.
The role of parents and community. A strong family-school-community connection has proven to
improve academic and social outcomes for students. Families and schools are woven into the
broader community and both influence, and are influenced by the culture of the community at
large.
It is important that community entities (through representatives) be invited to participate in efforts
to listen to the community (e.g. any town-wide forums) and to create effective family school-
community partnerships that encourage community buy-in.
Recommendation #2 COMMUNITY
Recommendation #2
Town Government
▪Establish a Youth Center (possibly at the Lexington
Community Center) operated by youth themselves
and a Youth Center Board comprised of adults and
youth to provide administration and support for
the Youth Center
▪Provide free or low-cost access to stress relieving
activities, such as yoga, recreation, art, through the
Town, the Community Center, the Youth Center,
and other sites
▪Provide online listings of both town-sponsored and
outside resources in the community for stress
management, health, and wellness
▪Work with community and business leaders to
engage youth in community service programs
including interning and mentoring programs
27
Those relationships can be leveraged for the
benefit of students as comprehensive
wraparound community services are developed to
address the academic, health, and social needs of
our children. Community resources can offer
important opportunities for social-emotional
learning outside the context of school. Already,
many of the most important town-wide cohesion
building events in Lexington are sponsored by
organizations outside the schools. Some of these
include the Fourth of July Carnival, Lexington
Lions Club, Halloween Trick or Treating, Lexington
Retailers Association, and LexFUN! In addition
many organizations support student/family
activities and fund student scholarships.
Organize community education forums for
parents and youth. The Committee recommends
that the Community Resources for Youth Working
Group work with community groups and local
business to organize community education
forums for parents and youth on topics such as
social-emotional learning and building resiliency,
mindfulness-based stress reduction approaches,
stress-relief techniques and activities, the role of
sleep in learning and mood regulation, how to
balance academic achievement and emotional
well-being, and improving work-family balance.
The Community Resources for Youth Working
Group would also act as a liaison in coordinating
education programs and activities offered by other community groups.
Develop a parent's guide to social-emotional learning. Representatives from the Community
Resources for Youth Working Group could work with the schools to develop a Parent's Guide to
Social-Emotional Learning. This would help to educate parents on what is being done in schools so
that parents can complement social-emotional learning practices from school with their children at
home, using common language, lessons, and values.
Establish community-based peer leadership and mentoring programs. The Committee
recommends that the community work with town youth services, through the Human Services
department or a contracted non-profit, to establish community-based peer leadership and
mentoring programs to complement those in the schools.
Recommendation #2
Community
▪Organize community forums and education
programs coordinated by the Community
Resources for Youth on topics such as:
• social-emotional learning and building
resiliency
• mindfulness-based stress reduction approaches
• stress-relief techniques and activities
• role of sleep in learning and mood regulation,
good sleep hygiene to improve well-being
• how to balance academic achievement and
emotional well-being
• improving work-family balance
▪Work with local business and community groups to
offer wellness programs for parents and youth
▪Work with town youth services to establish
community peer leadership and peer mentor
programs for teens that complement in-school
peer leadership programs
▪Develop a parent's guide to social-emotional
learning and educate parents on ways to
complement social-emotional learning practices
from school with their children at home
▪Support community events sponsored by the town,
businesses, and community organizations that
promote social connection, family-centered fun,
relaxation, and stress-relief, e.g. Discovery Day
28
Homework best practices. Homework is an
emotionally laden topic – for both students and
parents. According to the 2013 Youth Risk
Behavior Survey, 96% of LHS students reported
being under stress because of homework.
It’s not just about the volume. Homework can be
a source of unnecessary stress because students
do not understand the homework assignment
(and worry about it); they think that they need to
get it all right in order to get a good grade (even
though they do not understand it); if they are
struggling with it, they don’t know how much
time they are expected to spend on it (instead of
other work, sleep, family time); or they do not
understand its educational purpose. Recently
published research concerning students in
affluent high-performing high schools like
Lexington High School showed that too much
homework is associated with greater stress,
health problems such as exhaustion, sleep
deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems,
and less time for friends, family, and
extracurricular pursuits (“Nonacademic Effects of
Homework in Privileged, High Performing High
Schools, Journal of Experimental Education
2013.81:490-510).
While we do not presume to tell teachers how
they should use homework in teaching their
students, we strongly believe that teachers must
find the time to identify best practices, discuss
Recommendation #3
Schools
▪Establish best practices for homework through
teacher groups and PLCs, and provide Professional
Learning for teachers on homework best practices
▪Revise district and school workload policies and
guidelines, e.g. review workload, vacation policies,
respites from homework, scheduling of multiple
tests/projects
▪Examine and consider altering LHS course
offerings, levels, and sequences in specific areas
where alternative options would provide more
appropriate choices for students, e.g. adding
honors levels where needed, developmental
readiness for Grade 10 AP courses, science course
preparation
▪Offer greater choice and flexibility of course
options in middle and high school so students can
closely align classes to their ability levels and
interests, e.g. electives that appeal to student
interests, alternatives for required classes
▪Define consistent and clear recommendation
procedures for courses in middle and high school
to ensure proper placement
▪Examine ways the schools can assist, inform and
educate students and families in making balanced
choices for course selection; provide information
on course expectations and workload to students
▪Teach time management and executive
functioning skills to students in middle and high
school
▪Explore and evaluate implementing a later start
time for LHS
Recommendation #3 SCHOOLS
RECOMMENDATION #3
Examine ways to reduce sources of unnecessary and unhealthy stress for students
and youth, including academic, extracurricular, social, peer, family, societal, or
internal pressures.
29
them among themselves (e.g. in Professional Learning Communities), then determine what changes
should be tried, perhaps on a pilot basis. They should also be provided with Professional Learning
opportunities to understand homework best practices. Some examples of best practices are:
(1) state the purpose of the homework on the assignment (e.g. practice, check for
understanding, reflect on discussion in class or pre-learn, such as outlining a chapter before
discussion)
(2) state the expected amount of time to complete or the maximum time to spend on the
assignment)
(3) take time in class to discuss the homework assignment and possibly give students a few
minutes to begin the assignment – to make sure they understand it
(4) provide feedback rather than a grade, with the goal of improving learning, promoting
student ownership of the learning, and encouraging self-assessment
As a vehicle to facilitate their discussions, we would encourage the teachers to read a paper
prepared by Challenge Success entitled “Changing the Conversation about Homework from
Quantity and Achievement to Quality and Engagement.”
http://www.challengesuccess.org/portals/0/docs/ChallengeSuccess-Homework-WhitePaper.pdf An
excellent and concise book is Rethinking Homework by Cathy Vatterot, an associate professor of
education at the University of Missouri, and a former teacher and principal.
As part of its 2014-2015 School Improvement Plan, LHS will be having faculty discussions on
homework practices to evaluate the use of homework, identify strategies, and make suggestions for
possible change. We commend the effort LHS is making to examine and discuss homework by the
teaching staff.
The School Committee should budget sufficient funds to enable teachers to examine best practices
and institute pilot programs. The district-wide homework policy, last revised in 1989, is outdated
and needs to be revised. The current time guidelines for elementary, middle, and high school
homework are not an accurate reflection of actual practice and should be eliminated or revised.
New policies and guidelines are needed most at middle and high school because students have
work assigned by multiple teachers.
Parents also need to re-examine their assumptions about homework. Many assume that the more
time students spend on homework, the higher their grades and test scores tend to be. Research
does not support this assumption and, in fact, too much time spent on homework can lead to lower
test scores because of health problems such as stress, exhaustion, and headaches. For the
emotional health of their children, parents should examine their assumptions and review the
research.
“There is simply and overload of testing… It has reached the point that there
is never a day that testing isn’t happening at school. This creates stress in
students and parents and is a never-ending source of stress for teachers. And a
stressed teacher creates stress in the classroom. Stressed students do poorly
on tests and then even more testing is required. It is a vicious circle.”
~ LPS Principal
30
Revise workload policies and practices. Much of the academic stress that students experience is
related to the workload, especially at the high school and to some extent in middle school. Students
feel that the total amount of the work required can be overwhelming and relentless, particularly if
they are taking challenging courses. Some of the sources of stress regarding workload are that:
(1) the sum total of work from multiple courses can become overwhelming and
unmanageable
(2) the workload is continuous with little or no respite
(3) workload stress is exacerbated when a student has simultaneous or overlapping major
assignments, tests, or projects
These concerns need to be addressed through internal review of school policies and practices, and
cooperative faculty discussions. We recommend the following issues be addressed in terms of
workload stress and offer suggested actions to consider:
1. Overall workload that is overwhelming or unmanageable
• Evaluate assignments on their necessity, purpose, and relevance for learning.
Eliminate unnecessary and repetitive work when possible. Establish consensus on a
suitable amount of work at each course level.
• Consider innovative approaches to reduce excess work, e.g. a standards-based
approach ̶ once a student reaches understanding of a concept, allow him/her to
discontinue repetitive work.
• Provide teachers with a better
understanding of the workload
from the student’s perspective, e.g.
“a day in the life of an LHS student ”
• Permit more “free passes” for late
work submission; reduced rather
than zero credit for late work.
• Extend time allowed for make-up
work when a student is absent.
2. Continuous workload with little or no respite
• Ensure regular enforcement of the “no homework over vacations and holidays”
policy. Assignments/projects due shortly after a vacation break should not require
extensive work over the break.
• Create occasional respites from work, such as occasional homework-free weekends
or homework-free days every quarter.
• Reassess the quantity and nature of summer assignments. Consider eliminating or
minimizing written assignments for AP courses in summer.
3. Simultaneous or overlapping assignments, tests, or projects
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the “flexible” policy for multiple exams and projects on
the same day. This puts the onus on students to come forward. Many students are
“I wish my teachers had better
understood how hard the students were
working and how late they stay up. I
wish that instead of telling the kid
sleeping on the desk ‘to sit up and pay
attention’, they gave us a night off from
homework.
~ LHS student
31
“The quarter system works in such a way that teachers
usually have their “big assignments” due around the
same time. On any given ‘last Friday of the semester’ a
student will likely have some combination of essays,
projects, and tests. And while most teachers are usually
reasonable, there is a stigma against asking for
extensions...It quickly becomes overwhelming.”
~ LHS student
either reluctant to approach a teacher or don't bother because it merely puts off the
required work and doesn't always ease their situation.
• Seek alternative solutions to this problem, including scheduling systems to avoid
major tests on same day, and coordinating the due dates for long-range projects.
It should be emphasized that reducing the pressures related to workload does not mean
compromising academic standards. In fact, the intensity of the workload may actually contribute
toward less effective learning on the part of students. We urge that teachers maintain the focus on
purposeful and essential coursework.
LHS Course Offerings, Levels, and Sequencing. We recommend that the administration examine
and consider altering LHS course offerings, levels, and sequences in specific areas where alternative
options would provide more appropriate choices for students. When course choices lead students
to stretch too far beyond their capabilities, they can experience unnecessary and unhealthy stress.
The most often-cited area where some students find themselves overextended and unduly stressed
is the gap between Level 1 (College Preparatory) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses in
sophomore and junior years.
Adding honors level courses in Grades 10 and 11. The jump from Level 1 to AP is most problematic
in Grade 10, for World History and Biology. Sophomore students are young and developmentally
less well-prepared to handle the rigor of a college level course and the independent work habits
expected for AP classes. AP World History continues on from freshman history, but with a faster,
higher-level, more conceptual approach. AP Biology covers an entirely new scientific subject for
which students have not had previous preparation. Many sophomores find it very challenging to
jump from 9th grade Earth Science to college level biology. Currently nearly one third of 10th grade
students are enrolled in AP Biology sections. While some are capable of thriving in AP Biology, the
high enrollment suggests that many of those students might be served better with an honors level
class. An honors course would also serve Level 1 students who would like a more challenging
curriculum but are afraid to take the AP class. Another problem is that some students take both AP
World History and AP Biology because they want the highest level courses possible, but then find
the workload overwhelming and very stressful. Having an honors level in either history or science in
Grade 10 could alleviate this problem by allowing students to take one AP and one honors class.
32
Although Grade 11 students are more
developmentally capable, they still are faced with
course choices that can lead to stressful
workloads. At this stage, larger numbers of
students elect to take both AP U.S. History and AP
Chemistry, so having the option to take one at the
honors level would be helpful. Currently, nearly
half of the juniors are enrolled in AP Chemistry, an
unreasonably high percentage. The burgeoning
enrollment in both AP Chemistry and AP Biology
suggests that an honors level is called for. It
indicates that students are choosing AP because it
is the only higher-level option. An honors course
could be a more appropriate choice for many
students and would help distribute students into more suitable levels.
We strongly urge that the administration and teaching staff examine the problem and consider the
best alternative options for offering appropriate course levels to students. Adding honors levels
might not be the best option in all cases, but the school should explore suitable ways to alter course
offerings to help alleviate the problem. While teacher load, extra class preparations and staffing are
considerations, the schools must make the best interest of students a priority if they are serious
about addressing student stress. It does not serve students or teachers well to have students who
are academically overextended in their classes or are experiencing excessive stress.
Science course preparation and sequencing. Adequate preparation for AP science courses is a
concern that contributes to student stress and overload. Compared to comparable area high
schools, Lexington is the only school where students take each science subject for one year only, as
an AP, Level 1 or Level 2 class. Therefore, students who take an AP science course have not had a
year of study in the subject prior to taking the AP, as is done at other schools. Going into an AP
science course without adequate preparation can make these courses particularly stressful for LHS
students. Moreover, LHS is the only school that offers an AP science course in Grade 10 without a
prior year of general study. At most schools, students do not take AP sciences until junior or senior
year. For LHS students, taking AP Biology as sophomores without prior preparation can be
challenging and stressful, both academically and developmentally. There are many factors and
tradeoffs involved in contemplating a restructuring of science course sequencing, so exploring the
desirability and feasibility of making such a changing would take careful consideration. It would
need to be well thought-out and evaluated through a long-term planning process.
Greater choice and flexibility of course options. The previous section addressed a specific area
where a gap in levels for certain course options puts some students at LHS in a more stressful
situation. There is another broader kind of change in course offerings that could help reduce stress
for students at all ability levels at the middle schools and high school. When students can choose
courses that closely align to their abilities and their interests, they can manage better, will be more
engaged, and will feel less stress.
“Junior year for your typical LHS
honors student is a sick joke. I pulled
my share of all nighters and had a
healthy number of breakdowns. It was
weird being on my computer at three in
the morning and seeing that almost
everyone from my AP US history class
was also on-line. Most of my friends
went, at least, a little crazy. A few
became minorly depressed.
~ LHS graduate
33
We encourage the middle schools and high school to look for opportunities to offer greater choice
and flexibility of course options. The current course choices and electives for seniors at LHS are a
good example. Rather than taking a general, standard class in English and social studies, seniors are
allowed to choose electives that align with their interests. They are satisfying cluster requirements
but in a way that is closer to their own interests and passions. In another example, students who
might struggle in a standard science course like physics, but are interested in human anatomy or
engineering or the environment, could find it more interesting and less stressful to have alternate
options. More flexible options in certain subject areas could help students meet requirements in a
less stressful, more engaging way and would serve students at all ability levels.
LPS could consider relaxing the cluster requirements to help alleviate stress for some students. The
cluster requirements in Lexington, i.e. requiring four years of history, math, science and English, are
more demanding than the state mandates which require four years of study only in English.
Standards would not be compromised because most students at LHS would take four years of these
subjects anyway. Changing the cluster requirements, along with offering great flexibility of choices
for fulfilling requirements, could be helpful in reducing stress.
Well -defined recommendation procedures for course placement. During course selection time, a
student's current teacher in a given subject makes the recommendation for the student's
placement into the course level in that subject area for the next year. Since teachers can base the
recommendation on any criteria they choose to consider and are not required to document their
recommendation procedures, the recommendations may appear to be rather subjective.
We recommend that the high school and middle schools define consistent and clear
recommendation procedures for courses to ensure proper placement of students. Well-defined
criteria would aid teachers in making their recommendations and ensure that the process is
consistent across all situations. Schools could design and adopt a simple system where teachers
assess students on categories of factors that contribute to their recommendation. Examples of
categories might include grades, homework and tests, class participation, student's work habits,
capacity for independent learning, student's motivation, improvement over time, comprehension of
the material, or other factors. This would help in placing students in more appropriate levels and
acknowledge the fact a variety of factors, not just grades, contribute toward a student's ability to
succeed in a given class. It does not preclude teachers from having conversations with students
about their placement and teachers can even factor in a student's motivation in their assessment.
The implementation of consistent and clear recommendation procedures would help to reduce
stress for students, teachers, and parents. Most importantly, this would help reduce stress by
ensuring that students are placed into appropriate course levels. By considering multiple factors, it
becomes less likely for a student to be placed into a class where the independent work habits or
other non-academic requirements needed cause undue stress on the student. It would be less
stressful for teachers because their incoming classes would be more likely to be comprised of
students who have not only the academic ability, but also the work habits and study skills necessary
to succeed.
34
A well-defined process can help reduce stress and save valuable time for teachers, administrators,
and guidance personal because it may help reduce the number of appeals and provide concrete
justification for placements when appeals do occur. The detailed assessments done by teachers
need not be made public, but could be useful in appeals cases. Establishing a consistent system for
teacher recommendations will reduce stress and frustration for students and parents because the
recommendation procedures would become more transparent and holistic.
Making balanced choices for course selection. The high school and middle schools should explore
ways to assist, inform, and educate students and families in making balanced and appropriate
choices for course selection. Making informed, well-considered course choices is the best way to
keep students from selecting a course load that is too difficult or stressful. Some students opt to
take multiple AP courses, others take occasional AP/honors classes, and some take mainly Level 1 or
2 courses.
Although it has been suggested that LHS limit the total number of AP courses a student can take as
a means of reducing stress, we are not recommending it as a policy change. There is no one-size-
fits-all number. Rather, students should make informed decisions that are suitable to their needs
and ability. In the end, students are responsible for making their own choices, based on teacher
recommendations. However, schools can assist them and their families in the process.
The schools should provide more clear and consistent information about the course expectations
and workload for all courses in advance, during course selection time. Teachers often have this
information presented in a syllabus given to enrolled students when they begin the semester. It's
too late at that point for students to be learning about what is expected of them. It would be more
useful to have access to the information when they are deciding to register for a class. On the
department website, there could be either a sample syllabus or a detailed description of the course
expectations and the approximate weekly or daily workload for each course level in a given subject.
Schools can play a role in educating students and families about how to select courses that are
appropriate and balanced. Messages and guidance to parents and students can be communicated
through the school website and at Curriculum Night. The schools could consider sending home
Time Planning sheets where students list all the hours needed for their anticipated weekly course
workload, extracurricular activities, outside commitments, sports, jobs, social and family time, and
relaxation/down time. If students add up all of their time commitments in advance, they may notice
conflicts and become more cognizant of potential overload. Students and families can then make
more realistic decisions about the total commitments undertaken by the student.
During course selection, guidance counselors should play an active role in helping students create
reasonable and balanced course choices. Counselors should especially reach out to students who
register for a particularly demand course load.
Consider later start time for LHS. Research studies show that adolescents who don’t get enough
sleep often suffer physical and mental health problems, an increased risk of automobile accidents,
and a decline in academic performance. The biological rhythms that regulate adolescent sleep
cycles cause teens to tend to stay up late, yet they must wake up early for school. As a result, many
teens are chronically sleep-deprived which is both stressful and unhealthy.
35
In August 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) issued a policy statement recommending that
high schools and middle schools delay the start of
classes until 8:30am or later. The AAP policy
statement notes that “delaying school start times is an
effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss and
has a wide range of potential benefits to students
with regard to physical and mental health, safety, and
academic achievement.” (AAP Policy Statement on
School Start Times for Adolescents, 2014)
If there is sufficient interest from the school system or the community, we recommend that the LPS
look into the possibility of changing to a later start time for LHS in order to determine if it is
desirable and workable for the system. It would definitely need further investigation. Changing the
start time for the high school is a complex decision, involving schedules for all LPS schools, school
buses, and extracurricular activities including sports, as well as the operations of LHS itself.
Therefore, if the school system wishes to investigate a later start time, we suggest the formation of
a Start Time Task Force to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks and to make proposed
recommendations to the system.
A number of school systems across the country have moved toward later start times for high school
and/or middle school. Several towns in Massachusetts, including Duxbury and Sharon, have made
the shift. If Lexington is interested in the possibility, we suggest that the task force investigate and
talk with these school systems to better understand the implications of making such a change
Students and their parents need more
information about how to reduce the unnecessary
stress in their lives outside of school, how to gain
more resilience, and put more balance into their
lives. The Committee on Lexington Youth -- where
the town, schools and community can work
effectively together -- should facilitate the
provision of this information.
The sources of this unnecessary stress that can be
addressed include: over-scheduling and the
resultant lack of downtime to play or be with
family and friends; cyber-bullying; excessive peer
pressure and competition; misconceptions about
how important or necessary it is to attend a highly
selective college or university in order to pursue a
Recommendation #3
Town Government
▪Create a comprehensive town website for youth
services that includes information and resources
for reducing stress and building resiliency
▪Work with community groups to institute town-
wide campaigns, such as managing digital media
exposure ("unplugged week"), good sleep hygiene,
meeting-free and homework-free days, to reduce
stress and promote in-person, social interaction
▪Offer information on health and wellness topics,
e.g. alcohol and other drugs, sleep, social media
through the website, social media, and written
material
▪Partner with schools to coordinate community-
wide programs on bullying, dating violence,
Internet safety, alcohol and other drug use
“...stress can still damage, if not
ruin, a high school experience.
Indeed, my own junior year was
characterized by stress. I felt lucky if
I got four hours sleep, and every
Thursday at 1 AM was “breakdown
night.”
~ LHS student
Recommendation #3 TOWN GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY
36
successful career; and incomplete information
about how to locate colleges and universities that
provide excellent educations (but are not
necessarily showcased by US News and World
Report) and provide the best fit with an individual
student’s aspirations and passions.
This information can be provided in several ways.
The Committee on Lexington Youth should
establish a website with information for adults
and youth about the sources of stress,
programs/activities in Lexington or nearby which
they can use, and links to websites and other
sources of information about what they can do.
Social media – like FaceBook – should also be
used to provide information. The Project
Resilience FaceBook page in Ridgefield CT --
https://www.facebook.com/ProjectResilience/ --
is a good model of the use of social media.
There should also be community forums on what
the community can do collectively to minimize
unnecessary stress and build resiliency. This
information can be aimed specifically at parents,
students, or families. For example, there could be
a series of parent education programs on topics
such as the effects of overscheduling and sleep
deprivation, a series of teen education programs
dealing with cyberbullying, social media, peer
pressure, and lack of sleep, and family programs
on these topics as well as the college application
process and how to balance academics and
emotional well-being.
There should also be programs that will facilitate discussions among parents, students, and families.
When students and parents can talk and better understand issues from the other perspective, they
will be better able to work together toward reducing stress and creating balance in students’ lives.
Recommendation #3
Community
▪Organize community forums and education
programs, coordinated by the Committee
Resources for Youth, on sources of stress that can
be minimized or avoided. Possible topics include:
• peer pressures/competition
• cyber-bullying
• social media
• over-scheduling
• sleep deprivation
• how to balance academics, activities, social life,
family life
• college application process and its role in driving
student stress
• how early student stress starts and how to
prevent it
▪Organize parent-teen discussion events to talk
about sources of stress and what can be done to
reduce stress in students' lives
▪Hold peer discussion groups with students in the
Youth Center, religious youth groups, and other
community youth groups to talk about their own
sources of stress and how to reduce stress in their
lives
▪Expand efforts to reduce teen engagement in
unhealthy stress coping strategies such as caffeine,
alcohol, marijuana and other drug use
▪Support community activities and events aimed at
reducing stress, e.g. unplugged week, meeting-
free/homework-free days
37
Identification and support services for students
at risk. The schools already have highly trained
staff and protocols and procedures for identifying
students at risk. However, as the numbers of
students experiencing stress-related problems
increases, we suggest that LPS review and
enhance its procedures and programming in this
area. At the middle and high school level, noticing
students who are experiencing excess stress,
anxiety, depression, or self-harming behavior is
especially difficult. The administration should
work with school staff to propose ways of
improving their ability to identify students at risk
at all grade levels.
Additional guidance counselors or social workers
at elementary level. Although there are some
social workers at the middle and high school
levels, there are no social workers currently at the
elementary level to help identify and provide
support to students with intensive needs, other
than those who attend Special Education
programs. Although there are highly trained
professionals within the schools, their numbers
are not adequate for the work to be done in this
area. We strongly recommend that the LPS hire
social workers or additional guidance counselors
to adequately cover the population at all
elementary schools.
Preventive and support programs in middle and high school. The high school and middle schools
have existing programs in place to serve specific groups of students in need, such as the
Recommendation #4
Schools
▪Enhance identification and support services for
students with emotional and mental health
concerns (anxiety, stress, depression, psychological
issues) at all grade levels
▪Hire additional guidance counselors or social
workers in elementary schools to provide a
balance of preventive and responsive services
▪Create additional preventive support programs in
middle schools and at LHS for students with
anxiety, stress-related, psychological, emotional, or
mental health issues (apart from TLP, Alpha, and
SPED) This may help offload cases that end up in
SPED
▪Ensure continuity of support services as students
transition in the system from one school level to
the next
▪Develop Professional Learning programs and
delineate protocols for identifying students who
exhibit signs of stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal
thoughts, or risky behavior
▪Partner with the Town and community providers to
identify resources for school personnel to make
referrals and do follow-up coordination
▪Put information stickers on bathroom doors about
symptoms of depression and anxiety; suggest
talking to doctor, guidance counselor, or help line
for advice
Recommendation #4 SCHOOLS
RECOMMENDATION #4
Identify youth at risk, provide support services, and improve coordination of
services and referrals between schools, town, and community.
38
Therapeutic Learning Program (TLP), Alpha Program, and Special Education (SPED) services for
students with an individualized education plan. There are a large number of students who are
experiencing high levels of stress-related issues, anxiety, severe depression, psychological issues, or
self-harming behavior but who do not qualify for these programs. These students would benefit
from the kinds of support services offered by these kinds of programs, such as help with
transitioning back in when school has been missed, a safe haven for students with school
avoidance, help in keeping up with missed work, and social work and counseling support.
We recommend that LPS explore the possibility of creating additional support programs to serve
these students. In many cases, the only current avenue for getting services for individual students is
to request services through Special Education. There may be students who need help but may not
really belong in SPED, yet their families apply because it is the only option. It is possible that if the
schools created additional programs to serve these students, it would off-load some cases the end
up in SPED and would ultimately save money for the LPS system.
Ensure continuity from one level to the next. As students transition from elementary to middle to
high school, guidance and social work staff need to ensure continuity of services for these students.
There should be mechanisms for staff to communicate with receiving staff at the next school.
Improved data systems could help with tracking students as they go through the system.
Professional Learning on identifying students at risk. There is also a recognized need to provide
professional learning for classroom teachers and other non-clinically-trained staff to learn how to
identify students at risk and the skills for
making an appropriate referral to a trained
professional within the school. Furthermore,
there should be similar programming for
students, so they can recognize warning signs of
potential risk and strategies for connecting
themselves or others to appropriate
professionals so help can be obtained.
Referrals and partnership with Town and Community resources. It is imperative that there are
mechanisms for identifying youth at risk, providing support services, and improving coordination of
services and referrals between schools, town, and community. School staff members need a point
person in the town government, ideally a Director of Youth Services, who will be a resource for
referrals to services and who will coordinate follow-up with school personnel.
“If teachers had time to talk, laugh and relate
with their students, they would know who is
under stress, but they have no time for this.”
~ LPS Administrator
39
The Town Government and the community need
to take a more active leadership role in identifying
youth at risk and providing prevention and
intervention services directly to them. In addition,
town and community groups need to strengthen
and expand efforts by the Youth Services Council
and the Human Services Department to
coordinate youth services in the town and work
directly with the schools.
The Committee was struck by how the Lexington
Public Schools take on so much of the
responsibility for identifying and providing
services to youth at risk. For example, an
extremely valuable tool in identifying numbers
and the extent of the problem facing our young
people, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), is
viewed by most in the community as a school
survey.
The results of the YRBS are written up and shared
by the authors and school personnel, with the LPS
solely responsible for publishing the results (the
school website is apparently the only place). It
follows that the schools that are then viewed as
having the main responsibility to implement
services and programs in response to the needs
uncovered by the YRBS. Other communities view
the implementation of the YRBS, and the concerns
raised by the results, as a community issue,
publicizing the full survey results prominently on
the Town website, holding town forums to discuss
the issues and carry forward a community
response.
Comparison to Other Communities
Members of the Ad Hoc Committee made site
visits to three other nearby towns, Needham, Newton, and Bedford to compare how those
communities identify and respond to needs of youth at risk. All three communities place a high
Recommendation #4
Town Government
▪Plan and implement a community-wide youth
suicide prevention program developed by a task
force of adults and youth representing the schools
and community
▪Develop and implement a town protocol for
suicide prevention and response to a youth suicide
▪Provide free, accessible individual and family
counseling and support services to youth and
families through a contracted community
counseling agency or town youth services staff
▪Provide counseling and support groups for at-risk
youth involved in alcohol and other drug abuse,
harassment, bullying, dating violence, including
those referred by police, schools, clergy, and others
▪Provide outreach programs to at-risk youth,
including peer leadership programs at the Youth
Center, designed to reach out to at-risk youth and
enhance self-esteem
▪ Designate a town coordinator or a contracted
community youth counseling agency to be the
community resource for school personnel to make
referrals for at -risk students
▪Provide an online directory of free and low cost
mental health services and private mental health
providers in the community
▪Develop programs through a youth-run website
and social media to reach out to at-risk and
disconnected youth and to provide information to
prevent suicide, dating violence, harassment
▪Work with the schools and community to provide
prevention programs, such as the Child Assault
Prevention Program (CAPP), to younger children
and parents
Recommendation #4 TOWN GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY
40
priority on funding and sustaining prevention and intervention services to youth. In all three of
these communities, town-funded youth services are:
• Much more robust than those in Lexington
• Completely integrated with the schools and community agencies
• Accessible and available at low cost or free to youth at risk
• Provided directly by the town or by a contracted mental health agency
For comparison with one town, we selected Needham because it is similar in size, youth population,
and median income to Lexington. Here are the numbers and a brief summary of Needham Youth
Services:
Needham Youth Services
Needham Lexington
Total population 28,886 31,394
Youth Population (under 18) 28.2% (8145) 26.1% (8194)
Median Household Income $125,170 $138,095
Persons below poverty level 4.2% (1213) 4.0% (1255)
Staffing
Four full-time staff - the Director, two social workers, one administrative assistant, and NYS
is hiring additional new 3/5 position asked for last year. In addition there is one social
worker intern, several volunteers, and summer staff of college age students to help, such as
child-care during single parent groups.
Funding
Needham Youth Services is totally town and community funded. The Town budget for FY'15
is $278,000 with $273,000 going to salaries. An additional $15,000/year was raised through
events and lots of in-kind contributions.
Cost to clients
There are no fees for service (except for one substance abuse group but the $45 charge is
often waived). NYS does not bill insurance.
Sources of Referrals
NYS receives most of its referrals from schools (58%), parents (29%), and community
sources. See the 2013 annual report for statistics on the numbers, programs and types of
problems.
Services and Programs
Needham offers a very comprehensive website at http://www.needhamma.gov/. A visit to
their Youth Services website speaks volumes. The site is full of detailed information about
all of Needham's town-supported youth services, including parent resources, and an annual
report for 2013 showing numbers of clinical hours and program highlights.
41
Suicide Prevention - The Highest Priority
Needham was devastated several years ago by a
series of suicides at the high school in a short
period. The response by the town government and
the community was extraordinary. The town
government and community created the Needham
Coalition for Suicide Prevention to work with the
schools to develop one of the most
comprehensive suicide prevention initiatives in the
state. This program is aimed at, not just preventing
teen suicides, but preventing suicides among all
age groups. Currently, the Youth Services Director
provides regular QPR (CPR for suicide prevention)
training to community groups. In Needham, the
intra-structure existed to respond quickly to
prevent other tragedies.
The YRBS numbers at LHS (1700 students) are
worth repeating. Last year:
• 247 students seriously considered suicide
• 137 students made a plan
• 55 students attempted suicide
We believe that our greatest, immediate need is
for suicide prevention. Lexington Youth and Family
Services, the Lexington Board of Health, and the
Human Services Department have secured small
CHNA grants to begin to address this need. At this
time, however, the town and community have no
suicide prevention programs for hundreds of
Lexington youth who are at risk.
As we write this report, many teens and parents are reacting with sadness and pain to the suicide
of a 2013 LHS graduate. He took his life while attending college. The schools are responding in a
planned, coordinated manner by providing support to his brother, other students, and school
personnel who are affected. However, the town government and community groups (such as the
church youth group, PTO, other caring parents) have no coordinated plan to respond - no way to
provide support to his peers, friends and family. The Ad Hoc Committee would like to see this
change.
Recommendation #4
Community
▪Present results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) to parents and the community in a public
forum and publish the full report on the town and
youth operated websites
▪Review YRBS and other data to identify problem
areas, triggers, and risk factors for youth
▪ Train and educate adults (parents, educators,
service providers, youth groups) to recognize signs
of excess stress, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, mental
health issues, self-injurious and risky behaviors
▪Provide peer training programs for teens,
coordinated with the schools, on what to do, how
to get help in situations of risky or harmful
behavior, e.g. signs of self-harm, suicidal behavior,
drug use, anxiety
▪Distribute information online and in print to the
community on what to do and how to get help in
risky or harmful situations
▪Work to de-stigmatize the act of seeking
counseling and support
▪Provide parent education and support groups
aimed at prevention of suicide, substance abuse,
sexual abuse, domestic violence, self-destructive
behavior
▪Engage community groups, cultural organizations,
faith-based youth groups, civic youth groups to do
outreach for youth at risk and their families
▪Engage mental health and medical professionals in
the community to advise and work with schools,
clergy and town service
▪Solicit community support, including financial
support, for mental health services for youth and
families
42
Outreach to Youth At Risk
Currently, there are no town-supported programs designed to reach out to our youth at risk. Of
highest concern are the "disconnected youth", often young men, ages 16-22 years old, who may be
withdrawn, depressed, suicidal, and/or potentially homicidal. These young people may be students
who are performing well academically, but are socially isolated or disconnected from their peers
and not engaged in sports and extracurricular activities. They could be out of school, having
dropped out, or between college and career. They are often disconnected from traditional sources
of support such as church youth groups, civic clubs, and not connected to community in any way.
Finally, besides a youth center, other forms of outreach can be very effective in reaching at risk
youth. Studies show that some of the most effective suicide prevention programs are peer-led
youth leadership. People who work with teens know that a friend or peer is most often the first to
know when a young person is experiencing trouble with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or
alcohol abuse - not a parent, teacher, coach, or other trusted adult. The empowerment model of
peer leadership programs allows for disconnected youth to build peer connection and self-esteem.
They are valued for overcoming difficult life experiences and can be most effective in reaching out
to others who may be experiencing difficulties.
43
School leaders need to make reducing stress a
priority. Reducing stress and building resiliency is
already a district goal. The administration needs
to make it a priority and set the direction for the
system. It is the principals at each school who can
establish it as a priority for their schools and make
it an important part of the school culture.
Principals should engage teachers and staff in
becoming aware of the social-emotional needs of
students and in creating a culture that works
toward reducing stress. This is not just a concern
for health and wellness, nurses, and guidance
staff. Classroom teachers need to play a role in
reinforcing the messages, being attuned to the
social-emotional needs of students, noticing
students who show signs of stress, anxiety or
harmful behavior, and supporting a shift in the
culture. It is a whole school effort.
Improving the school climate and culture.
Creating a more healthy school climate and
culture is critical in making an environment that
helps reduce the stress and competitiveness,
shifts the focus more on learning, rewards
collective accomplishments, and reinforces a
positive, pro-social climate.
Perhaps within each school a group of
administrators and teachers could work together
to develop and implement ideas that would work
best for improving the climate in their school. LHS
Recommendation #5
Schools
▪Encourage school leaders to make reducing stress
and building resiliency a priority in the school
culture; engage teachers/staff
▪Improve the school climate and culture by
identifying ways to reduce competitiveness, shift
the focus more on learning rather than grades, and
recognize non-academic and collective
accomplishments
▪Create a more pro-social climate, address bullying
and harassment
▪Reduce peer-to-peer competition through more
collaborative learning projects and group grading
▪Make substantial improvements in communication
to parents at the district and school level about
school programs to reduce stress and build
resiliency including use of websites, social media
▪Facilitate school-home partnership by establishing
guidelines for parents on communication with
school staff and providing workshops for staff on
working with families
▪Encourage development of student-run supports
for stress, e.g. peer groups, advice columns, clubs,
acknowledgment of students voices
▪Hire teachers and staff to reflect the diversity of
the student population in order to enhance
opportunities for adult mentorship and guidance to
students of different cultures, orientations, and
backgrounds
▪Provide Professional Learning to help teachers and
staff understand the diverse backgrounds of
students in order to help them support the social-
emotional needs of students
Recommendation #5 SCHOOLS
RECOMMENDATION #5
Community Education and Changing the Culture
a) Build awareness and ongoing discussion through parent and community
education activities
b) Work together to change the culture and climate in schools, at home, and in
the community in ways that help reduce stress and build resiliency
44
and the middle schools can engage the students in suggesting ways to improve the climate and
make the environment less stressful. This could be done through the LHS Student-Faculty Senate,
student officers or representatives, and student feedback or surveys. Schools should encourage the
establishment of student-run groups, clubs, and other supports for stress that would be valuable
resources for students themselves.
Academic shift that focuses on learning rather than grades. Changes in culture related to academics
should include a shift in the focus more toward learning and self-enrichment, rather than grades
and test scores. It is important to reinforce the message to students (and parents) that the grades
and assessments are meant to be reflection of a student’s comprehension, skills, and progress in
learning, not an end to itself. The recent change to standards-based report cards in the elementary
schools is an example of assessment that defines and focuses on desired academic and pro-social
skills. At the secondary level, students often become more concerned and competitive about
grades and individual achievement. Teachers can help by placing emphasis on substantive feedback
and comments on students' work, identifying the purpose of work including target concepts and
skills, or giving students opportunities to redo/revise work/do test corrections so that grades reflect
improvements in learning. Schools, as a whole, need to reinforce this message. They can also
consider the impact of their policies, such as how best to open the grade book.
Recognition of non-academic and collective achievements. Naturally, students are proud of their
accomplishments and achievements, and deserve recognition. However, an over-emphasis on top
rankings, high-level awards, and individual achievements can lead to increased competition, a sense
of inadequacy for many students, and implicit values by the culture. As much as possible, schools
should recognize non-academic as well as academic achievements, and collective as well as
individual accomplishments.
Creating a pro-social climate. Apart from academic or workload stress, much of the stress that
students face comes from social interaction. At elementary levels, it can be seen in the form of
bullying, while later it can become personal harassment. Surprisingly, our analysis of the YRBS data
showed that harassment was by far the highest predictor of suicide ideation. In classrooms, health
classes, and team time/homerooms, it is important to
explicitly talk about the effects of harassment on others,
whether done in person or through social media. Through
repeated messages and common language, hopefully,
students will learn to call out unacceptable behavior
amongst their peers.
Peer-to-peer competition.
At LHS, competition among students is very strong. In
some circles, there is a great deal of competition,
comparison of grades and performance, pressure to take
AP courses and challenging course loads, competition
about college admissions, and even one-up-man-ship over
how late one stays up doing homework. The schools
“I learned..my own stress..
wasn't coming from myself or
my parents, but rather the
environment in which I was
working and the friends with
which I was associating.
Constantly being around
stressed out peers didn't make
me feel completely stress-free..
There is certainly an air of
competition that verges on cut-
throat at times.”
~ LHS student
45
should address this directly with students and explicitly try to diffuse the competition. Peer
pressure convinces students that they must push themselves extra hard and that they are implicitly
in competition with one another. The schools can try to dispel some of the myths and promote a
less competitive environment. In classes, peer-to-peer competition could be reduced by having
more collaborative learning projects that are group-graded.
Improve communication to parents, create website, home-school partnership. The schools have
many programs and initiatives in the schools to reduce stress and build resiliency, yet they are not
well-known by the parents and community. The district and schools should make substantial
improvements in communication to parents. The LHS website on Reducing Stress and Building
Resiliency that contains information and resources for parents and students should be updated and
made more visible. The district should also create a visible and accessible website on reducing
stress and building resiliency. The school-home partnership could be improved by establishing clear
guidelines for parents on how and when to communicate with school staff and by providing
workshops for staff on how to best to work with families.
Diversity hiring and training. We recommend that the administration make concerted efforts
toward hiring teachers and staff to reflect the diversity of the student population. The student body
is diverse in cultures (30% of the student population is Asian), sexual orientation, and other
backgrounds. Hiring practices that reflect this diversity is important with regard to stress in that it
improves opportunities for students to find adult mentors who they can better understand them.
Providing Professional Learning training for all teachers and staff to help them understand the
diverse cultural and other backgrounds of students will help them in supporting the social-
emotional needs of students.
We recommend that the town increase its support to all town departments in working to build a
positive climate for Lexington youth.
To its credit, the town has made great progress in working with the schools and community groups
to improve the culture and climate for Lexington youth. Increased visibly and expanded outreach to
youth has been a goal of many town departments including the Recreation Department, the Human
Services Department, and the Police Department for the past several years. The police in particular
have emphasized the development of positive relationships with youth through its school resource
officers and through general contact with youth and families in the community.
We recommend that the town work with the schools to reach out to community businesses,
professionals and local human service providers to explore partnership opportunities that provide
opportunities for students to partner with and create connections with adults resulting in greater
social integration of youth within the community. Here are some ideas:
Recommendation #5 TOWN GOVERNMENT
46
• Business sponsorship of clubs and/or
competitions - Sponsorships could offer
mentoring/advising opportunities, as well
as financial support for activities such as
travel to events. E.g. business sponsorship
of science fair or debate activities
• Speakers Bureau - Establish a Speakers
Bureau of local business people,
professionals, scientists and researchers, to
speak to students about their chosen fields
and advise on pursuing those fields at
special events
• Pro-Bono Work - Encourage pro-bono work
on the part of professionals in the
community to assist families/students in
need of such services as counseling and
legal advice
• Internships, job shadowing, paid
employment - Work with professionals and
businesses to develop internships,
mentoring and job shadowing programs and
encourage local organizations to pro vide
hands-on opportunities to students
Do we as a community have to simply accept
that our children are going to be stressed out
and at risk? Or can we do something to address
this problem? Do we as a community want to
make our youth more resilient? To what extent
do we – as parents and as a society – contribute
to the culture and climate that creates stress for
our children? What do we want to do about it?
There is no doubt that the culture and climate
in which our children develop and grow affect
their stress levels, as well as their general well-
being. The messages and values they receive at
home and around them in the community have a profound effect. The high-achievement culture in
Lexington is one of the many influences that affect students. In the YRBS, 81% of students felt
pressure from parents to get good grades, and 78% reported that the atmosphere in the town of
Recommendation #5 COMMUNITY
“In my experience it seems the biggest
sources of unhealthy stress come from
parents (and sometimes teachers,
counselors, society) about how tough the
competition is and how students need to
take every possible AP class and do every
possible activity to pad their resumes. The
message is that there is no room for
mistakes and an A is the only acceptable
grade.”
~ LHS student
Recommendation #5
Town Government
▪Continue good work towards developing positive
relationships between youth and police, fire, and
library who are seen as a resource for youth at risk
▪Increase visibility of Town services and efforts to
serve youth at risk
▪Offer more non-competitive recreational sports
and activities
▪Publicize public events and forums as well as
resources and services available to youth
▪Create a Teen Youth Summer Internship for teens
to volunteer to work with Youth Services staff and
assist in planning of community forums
▪Increase support for coaches and recreation staff in
their efforts to build positive relationships with at
risk youth and relieve unhealthy stress in general
among teens
▪Establish partnerships with businesses and
companies for job shadowing, internships, and
mentoring
47
Lexington encourages academic competition. This raises many questions for parents, and the
community as a whole, to consider: What do we want for our children? What is the effect of
parental and society expectations on our youth? How do we balance the pressures of a high-
achievement culture with the emotional health of our children? What choices do individual parents
need to think about? Parents need to consider these questions for themselves – and the
community at large should begin discussions around these complex issues.
One of Lexington’s strengths is that the
community has a lot of intelligent people - many
of whom are active and concerned citizens – and
we should capitalize on this strength to figure out
what we can do to make our children more
resilient, and less stressed out and at risk.
Let’s make sure that we understand the problem
and then let’s identify what we can do – as
parents, students, town leaders, educators, and
concerned community members.
Organize community forums and education
programs. We should start with an ongoing series
of community forums (conferences, workshops,
discussions) where we can come together to
become better informed and identify solutions.
These forums should be organized by the
Committee for Lexington Youth – bringing
together the schools, town and community
leaders – and co-sponsored by the School
Committee and Board of Selectmen. The topics
should include the following:
• The results of the Youth Risk Behavior
Survey: what do they mean and what can
we do about them? (teens, parents, and
educators as key participants). Newton
initiated a series of “Youth Summits”
based on the results of their survey
• Open discussion about “what we want for
our children”
• How can we redefine success?
• What is the effect of parental and societal
expectations on students?
• What can parents do to reduce stress on
their children? How can the schools and community help?
Recommendation #5
Community
▪Organize community forums and education
programs coordinated by the Community
Resources for Youth Working Group on topics such
as:
• open discussion about “what the community
wants”
• how to redefine success
• societal, parental expectations and its effect on
students
• how to balance a high-achievement culture
with stress on students
• open dialog between parents and
children/teens about stress
• discuss possible solutions and actions
▪Organize events such as Youth Summits that bring
together teens, parents, town, and community to
address concerns of teens and stress
▪Initiate parenting workshops, a “Parent University”,
or book groups around stress and parenting topics
▪Utilize the resources and expertise of local
healthcare and mental health professionals to work
with schools, community, and youth groups
▪Encourage program coordination among
community youth programs, counseling programs,
mental health professionals, and faith-based youth
groups
▪Create a family-friendly environment in schools
and community, e.g. inter-generational activities,
improved communication, translation services
▪Continue and expand community efforts focusing
on the social-emotional and mental health needs
of the diverse student population, e.g. Lexington
Asian Mental Health Initiative
48
• How can parents help their children be more resilient to better cope with the pressures of
everyday life? How can the schools and community help?
• How can parents work with teachers to reduce academic stress? What can students do?
• What can the community do to help at-risk youth?
• How do I know whether my child is at risk? And what can I do about it?
These forums and events could be filmed and made available on demand/on line by LexMedia for
those who cannot attend the event.
The excellent resources of Lexington Community Education (LCE) should be more fully utilized to
educate parents, youth, and the broader community about reducing stress and building resiliency.
There should be more speakers like Dr. Robert Brooks, who LCE recently brought to Lexington to
speak on building resiliency in youth, and more courses offered on parenting and mindfulness.
Initiate parenting workshops. A priority should be parenting workshops focusing specifically on
helping parents help their children. For example:
• Needham has annual High School Parent Conferences – organized jointly by the high school
and Needham Youth Service -- with workshops like “The Secret Life of Teens – What’s really
on your teenager’s mind? “
• Bedford has a Parent Education Series with topics like “Bullying and Cyberbullying:
Prevention in Schools and Communities” aimed at elementary school parents.
• Newton has organized a lecture series for parents of teens with topics like “OMG! Your teen
actually talks to you?”
• Wakefield has initiated a “Parent University”
The community can also offer wellness programs for parents of adolescents. Newton, for example,
has offered a four session program entitled “Taking Care of Ourselves and Our Teens” provided by
the Benson-Henry Institute of Mind-Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
In mobilizing the community’s resources, the Committee for Lexington Youth should recognize and
acknowledge the fine work with youth being done by town agencies such as police, fire, and
recreation, as well as the library and faith-based groups such as the Lexington Interfaith Clergy
Association. And we urge increased support for coaches and recreation staff in their efforts to build
positive relationships with at-risk youth and to relieve unhealthy stress among teens.
Meeting the needs of the diverse youth population. Community groups should continue and
expand efforts focused on social-emotional and mental health needs of the diverse youth
population. For example, the Lexington Asian Mental Health Initiative brought together mental
health professionals, parents, town Human Services, town police and resource officers, community
organizations, and others in order to organize town-wide community forums on understanding and
managing stress for Asian students. Creating coalitions like this are a model for how members of
the community can work together to address these issues as a community.
49
Lexington is by no means alone in dealing with the issue of unhealthy stress and youth at risk or
working to build the resiliency of their youth. As noted in Recommendation # 3, communities
similar to Lexington, like Needham, Newton, Bedford, and Winchester have initiated programs that
should be seriously considered in Lexington. This is not to say that we should simply copy these
efforts, but we should take advantage of the opportunity to learn from their experiences and apply
what would work best in Lexington.
We would encourage the school leader and the Director of Youth Services to reach out to their
peers in these communities and perhaps join the information-sharing groups that are operating
(e.g. one involving the Directors of Youth Services in Newton and Needham, and neighboring
communities).
We recommend joining the “Making Caring Common Project” based at the Harvard Graduate
School of Education under the leadership of Dr. Richard Weissbourd. This recently awarded $2
million grant focuses on strategies for promoting caring, courage, and other key moral and social
capacities in both schools and homes. The project will disseminate accessible, easy-to-implement
strategies for promoting the awareness of others, and responsibility for others, to parents,
educators, and other community members in its network.
Schools Town Government Community
▪Reach out to and learn from
other school districts grappling
with the same issues
▪Review data and outcomes in
school systems that have
instituted programs or changes
▪Join a network of schools,
collaborate or partner with
universities or other community
programs
▪Look into research programs and
findings related to stress
▪Hire a grant writer to solicit
funding from SAMHSA,
Massachusetts Department of
Public Health, CHNA15,
Foundation for Metrowest, and
others.
▪Review efforts in other towns to
learn how to best structure
services, communication and
engagement with the community
▪Review accomplishments in other
communities, e.g. Needham,
Newton, Bedford, Winchester, in
implementing programs to reduce
stress and prevent suicide and
violence
▪ Engage businesses and companies
to match students with mentors,
shadowing opportunities
RECOMMENDATION #6
Reach out to find networking opportunities and other resources
50
There are also organizations like Challenge Success and the Collaborative for Academic, Social and
Emotional Learning (CASEL) which have excellent websites and other programs. They provide the
results of research that have been incorporated into evidence-based programs.
There are also potential funding sources that could be tapped such as the Community Health
Network Area (CHNA) 15, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. A grant writer – perhaps jointly
funded by the schools and the town – should be hired to pursue grants to support Lexington’s
efforts to reduce youth stress and build resiliency.
51
We have endeavored to make these recommendations specific and measurable action steps, but
their implementation will require an ongoing process that may well cover several years. To maintain
a focus on this implementation over time, we recommend that the School Committee, ideally
jointly with the Board of Selectmen, establish a Task Force with members from the School
Committee and the Board of Selectmen along with representatives from the schools, town and
community, to monitor progress towards the achievement of these recommendations and to make
periodic public reports.
RECOMMENDATION #7
Create a joint Follow-up Task Force with representatives from the schools, town and
community to monitor implementation of these recommendations and to make
periodic reports on progress.
52
VII. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Our work was aided enormously by many educators in the Lexington Public Schools – principals,
assistant principals, program directors and teachers – who were very generous with their time,
knowledge, and information. LPS staff, particularly Miriam Souza in the Central Office, provided vital
assistance. We would also like to acknowledge the strong and ongoing support provided by School
Committee Chair, Margaret Coppe, and School Committee member, Alessandro Alessandrini.
In Town Government and the community, we want to thank Charlotte Rodgers, Director of the
Human Services Department, and her staff, Emily Lavine and Matt Ryan for giving of their time,
suggestions, and recommendations. We appreciate the feedback from the Youth Services Council,
the Human Services Committee, and therapists and community members who responded to our
questionnaire.
Finally we would like to thank the youth services staff and board members in other communities,
Jon Mattleman, Director of Needham Youth Services; Sue Baldauf, Director of Bedford Youth and
Family Services; Jennifer O'Higgins, Director of Youth Services in Newton; and Rebecca Levine,
Director, Bekah Epstein, Assistant Director, and Dr. Robin Smith, Board Chair of the Winchester
Youth Center, who generously gave of their time and made themselves so available for our
questions.
VIII. REFERENCES
Books:
Benard, Bonnie. Resiliency: What We Have Learned. San Francisco: WestEd, 2004.
Brooks, Robert. Nurturing Resilience in our Children. McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Deresiewicz, William. Excellent Sheep. New York: Free Press, 2014.
Elkind, David. The Hurried Child. Boston: Addison Wesley, 1981.
Elkind, David. All Grown Up and No Place to Go. Boston: Addison Wesley, 1989.
Erikson, Erik. Identity, Youth and Crisis. New York: W.W. Norton, 1968.
Gardner, Howard and Katie Davis. The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity,
Intimacy and Imagination in the Digital World. 2014.
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1995.
Henderson, Anne T., Mapp, Karen L., Johnson, Vivian R., and Dan Davies. Beyond the Bake Sale,
The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships. New York: The New Press, 2007.
Hong, M. Growing Up Asian American, An Anthology. New York, William Morrow,1993.
Kindlon, Dan and Michael Thompson. Raising Cain, Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. New
York: Ballentine Books, 1999.
Lantieri, Linda. Building Emotional Intelligence. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2008.
Levine, Madeline. The Price of Privilege, How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are
Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids. New York: Harper, 2006.
McCullough, David. You Are Not Special and Other Encouragements. New York: Harper Collins,
2014.
Muuss, Rolf. Theories of Adolescence. [6th ed.] New York: McGraw Hill, 1996.
Pollock, William. Real Boys. New York: Random House, 1998.
Steiner-Adair, Catherine. The Big Disconnect, Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in
the Digital Age. 2014
Tatum, Beverly. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria. New York: Basic
Books, 1997.
Tough, Paul. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. New
York: Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt Pub. 2012.
Vatterot, Cathy. Rethinking Homework. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2009.
Weissbourd, Richard. The Vulnerable Child, What Really Hurts America’s Children and What We
Can Do About It. Boston: Addison Wesley, 1996.
Weissbourd, Richard. The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine
Children’s Moral and Emotional Development. Boston: Addison Wesley, 2009.
Articles:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Policy Statement. School Start Times for Adolescents. 2014.
Available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/08/19/peds.2014-1697
American Psychological Association, Stress in America: Are Teens Adopting Adults’ Stress
Habits? 2014. Available at http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/stress-
report.pdf
Arnsten, A.F.T., & Shansky, R.M. Adolescence: vulnerable period of stress-induced prefrontal
cortical function. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2004;1021:143-147.
Boston, G. Long-term stress damages the brain. The Washington Times, 12/2/2009.
Carmichael, M. Who says stress is bad for you? Newsweek. 2/14/2009.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States,
2013. Surveillance Summaries, June 13, 2014. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
2010;63(SS-4):1-168.
Evans, G.W. & Schamberg, M.A. Childhood poverty, chronic stress, and adult working memory.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. 2009;106(16): 6545-6549.
Galloway, M., Conner, J. & Pope,D. Nonacademic Effects of Homework in Privileged, High
Performing Schools. Journal of Experimental Education 2013.81: 490-510.
Giedd JN, Blumenthal J, FJeffires NL, et al. Brain development during childhood and
adolescence: a longitudinal MRI study. Nature Neuroscience. 1999;2:861-863.
Ishkanian, E. Newton mourns 3rd teen suicide of school year. Boston Globe, 2/8/2014
Lepore, S.J., Miles, H.J., Levy, J.S. Relation of chronic and episodic stressors to psychological
distress, reactivity, and health problems. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine,
1997;4(1):39-59.
McEwen, B.S. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of
Medicine. 1998;338(3);171-179.
Websites:
Challenge Success http;//www.challengesuccess.org/
CASAL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) http://www.casel.org/
PBS Documentary: “Inside the Teenage Brain.”
IX. AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR YOUTH AT RISK CHARTER
Members: 14 members (plus 11 organizational liaisons and two liaisons from the School Committee)
Appointed by: School Committee
Length of term: 12 months
Meeting times: As needed
Description: The Committee will address issues concerning Lexington youth, ages 3 - 22, whose mental
or physical health is at risk because of stress originating from physical, emotional, social, cultural, and
academic sources that may adversely affect them and their families. Youth stress may also be caused by
the stressors experienced with education performance expectations, financial issues, job loss, relocation
and/or homelessness. Youth may be considered "at risk" because of stress when they or their families
experience problems such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts,
trauma, PTSD, physical or sexual abuse, chronic illness, domestic violence, or feelings of grief/loss.
This is a community public health concern whose solution requires a collaborative approach involving
the schools, students, parents, town agencies such as the Health and Human Services/Youth and Family
departments, and the broader Lexington community.
The Ad Hoc Committee is charged with recommending policies, goals and programs to address this issue
of youth at risk due to stress. These recommendations would be based in part on a review, and
evaluation of programs and services that currently exist to support youth and families in Lexington. The
committee will address the following issues:
• Review existing public and private programs and services in the community, schools, and town
that currently serve youth at risk.
• Identify unmet needs (gaps in services) – including using data from existing surveys, 20/20
Demographic Task Force, Healthy Community Grant Survey from the Board of Health, and
interviews with staff.
To address these unmet needs as well as to develop the resiliency of Lexington youth, it will recommend
to the School Committee modifications of existing programs and services in the community and schools,
or the implementation of new programs and services in the schools, and public or private programs and
services in the community.
It will submit interim reports to the School Committee by March 1, 2014 and work to submit a final
report by November 2014.
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
Joe Pato
ITEM NUMBER:
I. 3
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Article Presentations/Positions (1 hour)
SUMMARY:
Attached is a table with all of the articles listed and to be used to take positions on articles for the 2015
Annual Town Meeting and the two Special Town Meetings.
Representatives from the Commission on Disability will be at your meeting to explain Article 42 and to
discuss the Cary Memorial Building Sidewalk materials.
At your last meeting you discussed possible articles that could be included on a Consent Agenda for
Town Meeting: Articles 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 25, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33 and 37. It is also
suggested that Article 24 be included. Should the Board take a vote to include these articles in a
Consent Agenda for Town Meeting?
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
FOLLOW-UP:
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
7:25 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
List of Articles for 2015 Specials and Annual Town Meeting Backup Material
ARTICLE POSITIONS 2015 SPECIALS AND ANNUAL TOWN MEETING ARTICLE SPECIAL TOWN MEETING #1 PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 2 Appropriate for School Facilities Capital Projects ARTICLE SPECIAL TOWN MEETING #2 PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 2 Pump Station Repairs Article 3 Appropriate for Purchase of Fire Engine Article 4 Appropriate for Cary Memorial Building Sidewalk Enhancement Article 5 Amend FY2015 Operating, Enterprise and CPA Budgets Article 6 Appropriate for Authorized Capital Improvements ARTICLE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING - FINANCIAL ARTICLES PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 4 Appropriate FY2016 Operating Budget Article 5 Appropriate FY2016 Enterprise Funds Budgets Article 6 Appropriate for Senior Service Program Article 7 Establish and Continue Departmental Revolving Funds
ARTICLE FINANCIAL ARTICLES (continued) PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 8 Appropriate the FY2016 Community Preservation Committee Operating Budget and CPA Projects: a) Conservation Meadow Preservation Program b) Parker’s Revenge Site Restoration c) First Parish Church Restoration Historic Structure Report d) Cary Memorial Building Records Center Shelving e) Battle Green Streetscape Improvements f) Community Center Sidewalk Design g) Cary Memorial Building Sidewalk Enhancement h) Community Center Preservation Restriction Endowment i) Park and Playground Improvements j) Park Improvements – Athletic Fields k) Park and Playgrounds ADA Accessibility Study l) Parks Improvements – Hard Court Resurfacing m) Lincoln Park Field Improvements – Phase 3 n) Minuteman Bikeway Culvert Rehabilitation o) Grain Mill Alley Design Funds p) Minuteman Bikeway Wayfinding Signs – Design Funds q) Lower Vine Brook Paved Recreation Path Reconstruction r) Community Preservation Fund Debt Service s) Administrative Budget
ARTICLE FINANCIAL ARTICLES PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 10 Appropriate for Recreation Capital Projects Article 11 Appropriate for Municipal Capital Projects and Equipment a) Center Streetscape Improvements and Easements – Phase I b) DPW Equipment c) Storm Drainage Improvements and NPDES Compliance d) Comprehensive Watershed Storm Water Management Study and Implementation e) Sidewalk Improvements, Additions, Designs and Easements f) Town-wide Culvert Replacement g) Town-wide Signalization Improvements h) Hartwell Avenue Infrastructure Improvements and Easements i) Street Improvements and Easements j) Bikeway Bridge Repairs and Engineering k) Hastings Park Undergrounding Wires l) Hydrant Replacement Program m) Westview Cemetery Building Assessment n) Replace Town-wide Phone Systems – Phase IV o) Municipal Technology Improvement Program – Phase III p) Police/Fire Dispatching and Recoreds Software q) Parking Meter Replacement r) Public Safety Radio Stabilization - Phase I s) Design/Engineering – Firing Range at Hartwell Avenue Compost Site
ARTICLE FINANCIAL ARTICLES PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 13 Prospect Hill Road Sidewalk (Citizen Article) Article 14 Appropriate for Water System Improvements Article 15 Appropriate for Wastewater System Improvements Article 16 Appropriate for School Capital Projects and Equipment Article 17 Technical Correction to the Borrowing Authorization under Article 13b of the 2014 Annual Town Meeting Article 18 Appropriate for Public Facilities Capital Projects: a) Middle School Space Mining b) Clarke Middle School Circulation and Parking Improvements, Design c) LHS Phase 2 Overcrowding/ Completion d) Major Mechanical/Electrical Systems’ Replacement e) Lexington Public School Educational Capacity Increase – Short and Long-Term f) LHS Heating Systems Upgrade – Phases 2 and 3 - Design g) School Building Envelope and Systems h) Municipal Building Envelope and Systems i) Repairs/Replacements/Upgrades: School Building Flooring Program School Interior Painting Program Diamond Middle School Lighting to Rear Parking Lot Diamond Middle School Motors for Backboards LHS Bike Racks and Installation
Article 18 (concluded) j) School Paving Program k) Public Facilities Bid Documents l) Security Cameras Upgrade ARTICLE FINANCIAL ARTICLES (concluded) PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 19 Martingale Road Street Acceptance Article 20 Richmond Circle Street Acceptance Article 21 Appropriate to Post Employment Insurance Liability Fund Article 22 Adjust Retirement COLA Base for Retirees Article 23 Accept Chapter 235 of the Acts of 1994 Article 24 Appropriate Bonds and Notes Premiums Article 25 Rescind Prior Borrowing Authorizations Article 26 Establish and Appropriate To and From Specified Stabilization Funds Article 27 Appropriate to Stabilization Fund IP Article 28 Appropriate from Debt Service Stabilization Fund Article 29 Appropriate for Prior Years’ Unpaid Bills Article 30 Amend FY2015 Operating, Enterprise and CPA Budgets Article 31 Appropriate for Authorized Capital Improvements ARTICLE GENERAL ARTICLES PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 32 Establish Qualifications for Tax Deferrals Pres. 2/10/15 - IP Article 33 Authorize Home Rule Petition for Tax Relief IP Article 34 Accept MGL Chapter 59, Section 5, Clause 54 and Set Personal Property Minimum Tax Article 35 Accept MGL Chapter 90-I, Section 1 (Complete Streets Program) Pres. 2/10/15 Article 36 Authorize Community Electrical Aggregation Program Article 37 Amend General Bylaws – Street Performers
ARTICLE GENERAL ARTICLES (concluded) PRESENTATION JP PK NC MC SB AC CEC SC Article 39 Repeal General Bylaws – Sale and Use of Tobacco Article 40 Amend General Bylaws – Sale and Use of Tobacco Article 41 Amend General Bylaws – Contracts and Deeds Article 42 Commission on Disability Request Pres. 3/4/15 Article 43 Amend General Bylaws – Demolition Delay (Citizen Article) Pres. 2/23/15 Article 44 Resolution on Fossil Fuel Divestment (Citizen Article) Article 45 Townwide Process for Safety (Citizen Article) ARTICLE ZONING/LAND USE ARTICLES PRESENTATION DM PK NC JP MC AC CEC SC Article 46 Acquisition of Land Shown on Assessors’ Property Map 22, Lot 51B Article 47 Amend Zoning By-Law – Medical Marijuana (Citizen Article) Article 48 Amend Zoning Map – Commercial Zoning District Lines a) CN (229-235 Bedford Street) b) CS (242-246 Bedford Street) c) CLO (173-181 Bedford Street) d) CN (Bedford Street & Reed Street) e) CS (North Street and Lowell Street) f) CRS (Lowell Street and Woburn Street g) CLO (Marrett Road and Lincoln Street) h) CS (Marrett Road and Spring Street) i) CN & CRS (Waltham Street and Marrett Road) j) CLO (Waltham Street at the Waltham Town Line Pres. 2/10/15
ARTICLE ZONING/LAND USE ARTICLES (concluded) PRESENTATION DM PK NC JP MC AC CEC SC Article 49 Amend Zoning By-Law and Map – Civic Use Districts Pres. 2/10/15 Article 50 Amend Zoning Map – CM District, Waltham Line Near Route 128/I95 Pres. 2/10/15 Article 51 Amend Zoning By-Law – Site Plan Review Applicability Pres. 2/10/15 Article 52 Amend Zoning By-Law – Technical Corrections Pres. 2/10/15 Article 53 Amend Zoning By-Law – CB District Moratorium on Banks Pres. 2/10/15
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
Joe Pato
ITEM NUMBER:
I. 4
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Selectmen Committee Appointments/Resignations (5 min.)
SUMMARY:
The Communications Advisory Committee has requested that Benjamin Moroze be appointed.
The Town Celebrations has requested that Melanie Gause, Suzanne Caton and Linda Levitt be appointed to
the subcommittee.
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
Motion to appoint Benjamin Moroze to the Communications Advisory Committee for a term to expire
September 30, 2017.
Motion to accept the resignation of Mary Gillespie from the Town Celebrations Committee effective
immediately.
Motion to appoint Melanie Gause, Suzanne Caton and Linda Levitt to the Town Celebrations Subcommittee
for terms to expire June 30, 2015.
FOLLOW-UP:
Selectmen's Office
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
8:25 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Email - CAC - Appoint Moroze Cover Memo
Application - CAC - Moroze Backup Material
CAC - current membership Backup Material
TCC - Gillespie resignation Backup Material
Email - TCC Subcommittee appointments Backup Material
Gause application Backup Material
Levitt application Backup Material
Caton application Backup Material
Town Celebrations Committee current membership Backup Material
Town Celebrations Subcommittee current membership Backup Material
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
Joe Pato
ITEM NUMBER:
I.5
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Discuss Snow Removal from Business District (5 min.)
SUMMARY:
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
The Board will have a discussion regarding whether the snow should be moved from the center business
district.
FOLLOW-UP:
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
8:30 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
Joe Pato
ITEM NUMBER:
C. 1
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Approve Selectmen Minutes
SUMMARY:
Approve the minutes of the December 1, 2014 Budget Presentation meeting.
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
Motion to approve the consent agenda.
FOLLOW-UP:
Selectmen's Office
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
8:35 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
12-01-14 Budget Presentation Minutes Cover Memo
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
Carl F. Valente
ITEM NUMBER:
E.1
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Executive Session: Exemption 6 - Consider Purchase, Exchange, Lease or Value of Real Property-
Public Safety Site (15 min.)
SUMMARY:
Suggested motion for Executive Session: Move that the Board go into Executive Session to consider the
purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property for a new fire station or public safety building, and
to reconvene in Open Session only to adjourn. Further, that as Chairman, I declare that an open
meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the Town.
Continue discussion regarding a site for a fire station/public safety building.
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
NA
FOLLOW-UP:
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
8:40 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Fire Site Info Backup Material
Deed Exhibit
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
DATE:
3/4/2015
PRESENTER:
ITEM NUMBER:
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Next Meeting
SUMMARY:
RECOMMENDATION / SUGGESTED MOTION:
FOLLOW-UP:
APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA: