Summer updates from Beacon Hill!

“I was surprised and a little bit relieved and also heartened by how much political support the preliminary recommendations received immediately,” a Democratic state representative, who is Jewish, told JNS.

To underscore its concern for prompt action, the commission in August adopted recommendations to curb antisemitism in K-12 schools after releasing a preliminary version of its report. Cataldo said that action already has resulted in improvements across the state.

The legislation would require districts to adopt literacy curriculums backed by scientific research, focusing on kindergarten through third grade.

When it comes to teaching students how to read - the basic building block of all education - schools aren’t getting the job done themselves.

And that means someone has to step up and take charge.

“It’s not OK,” Rep. Simon Cataldo, sponsor of the bill told Contrarian Boston. “It’s something that needs to be changed right away.”

"Students, we heard again and again, would actually report an incident of virulent antisemitism. They'd often be gaslit," Cataldo said. "It would be minimized.”

“These recommendations offer a clear, actionable playbook for state and local school leaders to create safer, more inclusive learning environments,” said state Representative Simon Cataldo, a Concord Democrat who co-chairs the commission with Velis.

“Cataldo, a former special education teacher, said: ‘What are we doing in government if we’re not ensuring that a student can read?’”