Commissioner's Update
July 25, 2006

Dear Superintendents, and Leaders of Charter Schools and Collaboratives:

In this Update I have two announcements and seven items recently posted at www.doe.mass.edu for your review.

Update

Chapter 71: Section 14B. Regional school districts; formation; procedure

As a reminder, all amendments to regional school district agreements must be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval in accordance with Chapter 71, Section 14B. Please submit a full copy of the agreement and any amendments to Christine M. Lynch. Additional information on regional school districts can be located on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's web site at http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/regional/.

Department of Environmental Protection "Lead Maintenance Checklist"

On March 30, 2004, Commissioner Golledge of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sent a memorandum titled "Update on Lead in School Drinking Water," requesting an update of lead in drinking water abatement activities for each school in the Commonwealth. Given the significance of the health risk posed by lead in excess of action level, DEP would like to receive completed copies of the "Lead Maintenance Checklist" that was distributed to all school districts. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to visit DEP's web site on this issue and submit the requested information. DEP will then be able to assist you in a) determining whether schools are meeting the lead action level and b) expediting corrective actions. Additional information on this topic is located on the DEP web site at http://mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/leadothe.htm.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Ken Pelletier, Program Coordinator for the Lead in Drinking Water at Schools Program at MassDEP kenneth.pelletier@state.ma.us or at (617) 348-4014.

Postings at www.doe.mass.edu:

1. Principals of Public and Private Schools Required to Report Incidents of Fire
   
2. MCAS High School Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) Competency Determination: Test Participation and Administration Requirements
   [ No longer available ]
3. Memo: Schedule for Reporting of 2006 MCAS and AYP Results for Schools and Districts and Reporting MCAS and AYP Data Discrepancies
   
4. 2006 MCAS and AYP Data Review Schedule
     
5. 2006 MCAS and AYP Data Reporting Schedule
     
6. Accountability System Update - 2006 End-of-Cycle IV
   
7. Service-Learning in Massachusetts
   

Sincerely,

David P. Driscoll
Commissioner of Education