Latest news with #MaxPage
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Should students have phones in school? There are several proposals to ban them in Massachusetts.
In an information age, everything is at your fingertips, but what happens when that access comes at school. There are more than half-a-dozen school cellphone bans proposed on Beacon Hill right now. "We should definitely have it in our locker, but I don't think we should use them," said Veronica Churilove, a middle school student in Watertown. "During school if they start texting to each other that might be a distraction," said Paul Khalarian, a grandfather of a middle school aged student. "Only thing they would need is if they have to get out to call their parents or grandparents to pick them up." "Bell to bell with no cellphones" Of the legislative proposals, one is called The Study Act, and was put forth by Attorney General Andrea Campbell. It has the backing of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA). "That would require all districts to create a plan that would have bell to bell with no cellphones. Beginning of the day to the end of the day," explained Max Page, MTA President. "We have a number of school districts where they have done this, and from overall, what our members say is that it dramatically changes the school environment." Brockton, Methuen and Lowell are just a few districts on the list. "They range from the full ban all day long, others say that students can have them between classes, they're locked up different ways," said Page. "Districts do it already and they do it even sometimes class to class because they have these pouches they are called, and as the kids come in each day they have to put them in there." Some parents disagree with an outright ban and say it could be a safety issue. Their hope is that any ban comes with caveats. "Any time they are supposed to use it, they should have access to cellphones, but definitely not used during school time," said Victoria Churilove, Veronica's mother.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion/Guest column: MTA must stop antisemitic bias
With more than 117,000 members in 400 local associations throughout Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Teachers Association is a prominent and influential force in the commonwealth's public education system. For more than a decade, the MTA has allowed and promoted the dissemination of defamatory material maligning people of Jewish faith and the sovereign state of Israel. The Jewish War Veterans Department of Massachusetts condemns the MTA's distribution of biased pedagogical materials based on foreign-generated falsehoods and propaganda, its perpetuation of antisemitic bias in commonwealth schools, and its consistently inadequate responses to legitimate concerns of the Jewish community. Since being established in 1869, Jewish War Veterans of the USA has battled discrimination in all forms with the same vigor, commitment, motivation and selflessness demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands of Jewish Americans who have served and continue to serve in our nation's armed forces and conflicts dating back to the Revolutionary War. It is in this spirit — and to honor all military service members — that JWV fights antisemitism, especially in its most insidious form: from institutions entrusted with educating our children. The MTA must be held accountable for using its prominence and influence as a 'bully pulpit' to spread falsehoods, bias and antisemitic rhetoric. Examples of the MTA's perfidy are plentiful and troubling: The MTA endorsed and distributed in Newton Public Schools (2011–2019) a curriculum containing content sourced from Saudi and Qatari channels. The curriculum features false narratives about Israel and Islamic history, and cloaks virulent antisemitic propaganda in a veil of 'pedagogical content.' Despite receiving numerous complaints about the biased curriculum, the MTA and the Newton School Committee repeatedly failed to acknowledge or address the serious and legitimate concerns raised by parents, students and community leaders. Recent findings of the American Jewish Committee reveal that the MTA continues to fuel anti-Israel sentiment by organizing workshops on 'anti-Palestinian racism' and distributing antisemitic flyers thinly disguised as educational resources. MTA leaders pay lip service to calls for change: Most recently during President Max Page's dismissive testimony before the Massachusetts Legislature's Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism on Feb. 10 ('Discussion on Countering Antisemitism in K-12 Education'). Holding the MTA accountable for disseminating antisemitic propaganda in Massachusetts public schools isn't just a 'Jewish matter." Because it concerns the education of allour children, it demands a response by all Massachusetts residents and our elected officials. We call upon our elected representatives in the commonwealth government to quickly and decisively address and correct the MTA's misconduct. Until the organization reverses its anti-Jewish policies, we urge legislators to sever formal ties with the MTA. Upon joining the military, every service member vows 'to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.' Bearing true faith and allegiance to the same demands that we identify and seek to fix injustices — especially when an institution entrusted with educating our youth indoctrinates them instead. In demanding accountability for the MTA's deleterious dogma, members of the JWV Department of Massachusetts muster our fellow veterans and service members, community leaders and elected officials to join this important battle. Sydney L. Davis Jr., U.S. Navy retired, is commander of Jewish War Veterans Brookline-Newton Post 211. Bruce R. Mendelsohn, U.S. Army honorable discharge, is interim commander of the Col. Irving Yarock Jewish War Veterans Post 32 in Worcester. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Opinion/Guest column: MTA must stop antisemitic bias
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Massachusetts teachers' union disavows 'offensive images' after being accused of spreading antisemitism
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is removing links to websites with controversial materials after being accused of spreading antisemitism. A local hearing became a national news story as MTA president Max Page was grilled over the union sharing educational resources that contained offensive images criticizing Israel. The images included a dollar bill folded into a Star of David alongside criticism of foreign aid to Israel, a poster showing what appears to be an armed Palestinian with the words "What was taken by force can only be returned by force," and a children's book referring to Zionists as a "group of bullies." Gov. Maura Healey spoke about the controversy directly, saying, "The images on the Massachusetts Teachers Association website were antisemitic, offensive and never should have been shared in the first place. I spoke to MTA leadership about my concerns and am glad they will be removing the images — that should be done immediately." She added, "I understand the importance of making sure teachers and educators have guidance for how to discuss this complex issue. That's why it was important for these images to be removed so that everyone can come together to determine how to accurately and appropriately address this topic moving forward. I want to thank the members of Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism for their commitment and dedication on this issue, and that important work continues." Outraged Staff, Parents Slam Minnesota Teachers Union's 'Antisemitic, Hostile Stance On Israel-hamas War' Read On The Fox News App Page and union vice president Deb McCarthy responded with a public statement, declaring the MTA "defends the right of all students and teachers to feel supported and included in our classrooms and unequivocally condemns antisemitism and Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred and discrimination." The Massachusetts-based union leaders claimed that their members-only website had a wide variety of resources to explain the historically complex conflict in the Middle East, "and includes materials from the Anti-Defamation League, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Facing History and Ourselves, the New York Times, the NEA, and many other respected sources." They also pushed back against some of their critics, specifying that controversial images discussed at the recent hearing were never displayed directly on the members-only website. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "As trusted educators, MTA members would never want to have antisemitic materials on the MTA website, and the MTA does not promote materials that direct hate at any group. We will remove any materials that do not further the cause of promoting understanding," the union leaders wrote. "Images displayed at a Feb. 10 hearing by the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism are not posted on the MTA's website, but rather on outside websites, which are linked to the resources page. The links to the sites containing those offensive images will be removed." The local ADL chapter in New England praised the MTA's decision as a "welcome first step." "The @Massteacher decision to remove harmful content from its list of curricular resources is a welcome first step toward restoring confidence," the local branch of the ADL said on X. "In light of the significant problems highlighted at last week's commission hearing about specific antisemitic resources and the biased nature of the list, we urge @Massteacher to take affirmative steps to objectively vet its resources for bias and pedagogical soundness and make any future version of this list public for full transparency."Original article source: Massachusetts teachers' union disavows 'offensive images' after being accused of spreading antisemitism
Fox News
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Massachusetts teachers' union disavows 'offensive images' after being accused of spreading antisemitism
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is removing links to websites with controversial materials after being accused of spreading antisemitism. A local hearing became a national news story as MTA president Max Page was grilled over the union sharing educational resources that contained offensive images criticizing Israel. The images included a dollar bill folded into a Star of David alongside criticism of foreign aid to Israel, a poster showing what appears to be an armed Palestinian with the words "What was taken by force can only be returned by force," and a children's book referring to Zionists as a "group of bullies." Gov. Maura Healey spoke about the controversy directly, saying, "The images on the Massachusetts Teachers Association website were antisemitic, offensive and never should have been shared in the first place. I spoke to MTA leadership about my concerns and am glad they will be removing the images — that should be done immediately." She added, "I understand the importance of making sure teachers and educators have guidance for how to discuss this complex issue. That's why it was important for these images to be removed so that everyone can come together to determine how to accurately and appropriately address this topic moving forward. I want to thank the members of Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism for their commitment and dedication on this issue, and that important work continues." Page and union vice president Deb McCarthy responded with a public statement, declaring the MTA "defends the right of all students and teachers to feel supported and included in our classrooms and unequivocally condemns antisemitism and Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred and discrimination." The Massachusetts-based union leaders claimed that their members-only website had a wide variety of resources to explain the historically complex conflict in the Middle East, "and includes materials from the Anti-Defamation League, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Facing History and Ourselves, the New York Times, the NEA, and many other respected sources." They also pushed back against some of their critics, specifying that controversial images discussed at the recent hearing were never displayed directly on the members-only website. "As trusted educators, MTA members would never want to have antisemitic materials on the MTA website, and the MTA does not promote materials that direct hate at any group. We will remove any materials that do not further the cause of promoting understanding," the union leaders wrote. "Images displayed at a Feb. 10 hearing by the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism are not posted on the MTA's website, but rather on outside websites, which are linked to the resources page. The links to the sites containing those offensive images will be removed." The local ADL chapter in New England praised the MTA's decision as a "welcome first step." "The @Massteacher decision to remove harmful content from its list of curricular resources is a welcome first step toward restoring confidence," the local branch of the ADL said on X. "In light of the significant problems highlighted at last week's commission hearing about specific antisemitic resources and the biased nature of the list, we urge @Massteacher to take affirmative steps to objectively vet its resources for bias and pedagogical soundness and make any future version of this list public for full transparency."
CBS News
14-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Massachusetts teachers' union under fire for alleged antisemitic educational materials
The state's largest teachers' union is under investigation for allegedly offering antisemitic learning materials to its members. Lawmakers question MTA president In a tense three-hour hearing Monday, lawmakers on the Special Legislative Committee on Combatting Antisemitism grilled Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page about materials the union made available to its members that many perceived as antisemitic. The images included a dollar bill folded into a star of David, a poster calling President Joe Biden a serial killer, a poster that said, "Zionists F*** Off," and a children's book about a Palestinian girl. "When I was 10 years old, I had to flee my home in Palestine," State Rep. Simon Cataldo read from the book at the hearing. "A group of bullies called Zionists wanted my land, so they stole it by force and hurt many people." The MTA has been criticized for alleged antisemitism in recent years, prompting protests from parents and teachers. MTA President Max Page declined WBZ's request for an interview on this topic, but in the hearing, he told lawmakers the materials were for consideration by highly skilled educators, not necessarily for classroom instruction. "The notion that our union is trying to indoctrinate our young people is simply not true," Page said. "It has unfortunately led to death threats on me and my staff and other attacks on our union." Online petition against MTA An online petition by the Israeli American Civic Action Network has over 10,000 signatures, and calls for the legislature to stop working with the MTA, writing, "Our demand is clear: No cooperation with a union that fosters bias and threatens Jewish students' safety. Lawmakers must stand with families and demand better for our children." WBZ spoke with a local science teacher, who chose to remain anonymous to protect his job. He was empowered to post on social media when he learned of the allegations against his union. "I would much rather my union takes care of teachers and takes no political positions," he explained. Still, he wanted families to know that he had never even seen the materials presented at the hearing – so he doesn't believe they were widely disseminated among the union, and they certainly did not guide his instruction of his students. "Honestly in 20 plus years I've never had the union make any suggestions to me," he explained, saying the union has never dictated what he teaches. Additionally, the teacher told WBZ he feels it's his responsibility – and that of his colleagues – to maintain a politically welcoming, inclusive, and neutral environment at school. "You try to not announce loudly your strongly held opinions and your political views," he explained. It's unclear what the outcome will be of Monday's hearing. No further hearings are currently scheduled.
