Massachusetts
Closed state prison reopened as migrant shelter spurs concern about schooling in a Massachusetts town – The Boston Globe
Norfolk Superintendent Ingrid Allardi said most of the children at the shelter are from Haiti and Venezuela.
She said she recognizes that the shelter is a “significant change for this community,” and acknowledged children from the shelter would have an influence on class sizes. Still, she assured parents that programs would “remain strong and rigorous.”
“We anticipate our schools operating as they always have,” she said.
More than 2,800 students were enrolled in district schools serving Norfolk during the 2023-2024 school year. As it stands, new shelter arrivals would represent roughly a one percent increase in the school population. However, as the shelter grows to full capacity, residents worry that the impact of additional enrollment would be amplified.
Benjamin Sprague, a father of two elementary-aged children, said having children from different cultures at school would have a positive influence on his own children. But he wished that the state would have communicated their plans for the shelter earlier.
“There’s got to be better ways we can do this, instead of putting all the stress on one single town,” Sprague, 42, said before the meeting. “How is one little town supposed to support all these people so they can be successful Americans?”
Some residents were not convinced that an influx of new students would not harm classroom instruction.
“All the time and effort that is needed to properly support our newcomers — that takes a lot of energy,” said Peter Svalbe, a member of the Norfolk School Committee who has two elementary school-age children. “How are we not distracting from our current student needs and preparing for this upcoming school year?”
He was met with applause.
Rich Drolet, superintendent for the King Philip Regional School District, said that the two districts will be hiring four more English Learner teachers, one who will teach at each of the four schools in the district. School leaders also said they had established a summer planning committee to develop educational plans, and that staff is undergoing specialized professional development training.
Last school year, Drolet said, King Philip enrolled 14 students who were living at a hotel in Plainville. “It was a positive experience, although it was challenging at first,” Drolet said. But, he added: “We certainly have concern and trepidation of getting such a large increase in this population of students.”
The situation in Norfolk illustrates the struggle various school systems across Massachusetts, including West Springfield Public Schools and Middleborough Public Schools, have contended with as groups of migrant children living in temporary housing have enrolled in local school districts. Some school officials say their systems lack the necessary means to support the increase in students.
In Norfolk, dozens of residents rallied against migrants being placed in their community when the facility reopened as a shelter. But others also showed support for the new arrivals, decorating “welcome banners” and voicing opposition to the housing of children in the former prison.
At the information session, some parents expressed gratitude to school staff for their preparation to welcome new and existing students. “Thank you to the teachers who are also opening their arms to everybody,” said parent Kristen Stacy.
Norfolk, a town of about 11,660 , is located roughly 30 miles southwest of Boston and has a median household income of more than $182,700, US census data shows — approximately $66,700 higher than the median household income in Norfolk County.
A Globe analysis of state data earlier this year found that relatively few wealthy communities host emergency shelters like the one at Bay State. The majority of these facilities are placed in middle-income towns and cities.
As of Wednesday, the Norfolk shelter housed 39 families, 129 individuals in total, according to Noah Bombard, a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Eighteen elementary-aged children, eight high school-aged children, and six middle school-aged children were living at the site as of Wednesday, Bombard said. The state is contracting with Heading Home, an emergency shelter provider offering hundreds of family shelter units in the areas of Boston and Lawrence, to run the Norfolk facility.
For the 2023-2024 school year, Norfolk Public Schools had an enrollment of 1,041 students in the district’s two elementary schools, which serve students in prekindergarten through sixth grade. King Philip Regional School District, which also serves Plainville and Wrentham, enrolled 1,849 students at its middle school and high school during the last school year, according to state data.
Capacity at the Bay State shelter will expand gradually, Bombard said, and the timeline for reaching the population limit at the site depends on various factors, including demand. The state’s emergency shelter system reached Healey’s cap of 7,500 families months ago, and as of Wednesday, there were 731 families on the waitlist to access emergency shelter, Bombard said. Overflow sites like Bay State are offered as shelter to those on the waitlist, but not all families may choose to utilize them, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
For months, dozens of migrant families, largely from Haiti, had been sleeping overnight at Boston’s Logan International Airport in Terminal E, where scenes of parents cradling their children on air mattresses set out on the floor became commonplace. But as of Tuesday, Healey’s ban on overnight stays at the airport went into effect, and the migrants disappeared from Logan.
Some are now housed at the Bay State facility in Norfolk, Bombard confirmed. Families staying at the Bay State shelter did not have any prior housing.
On Thursday afternoon, about half a dozen young children ran or rode bikes across a playground and soccer field, now set in front of the old correctional center. Still, they played behind a towering chain link fence that made it clear the facility was once a prison, though much of the barbed wire had been removed.
School officials said staff would begin screening and enrolling children from the shelter in August.
Jim Lehan, the chair of Norfolk’s Select Board, who also chairs the King Philip Regional School Committee, said in an interview on Wednesday that there have been conversations among school leaders about the possibility of enrolling children living at the shelter in schools outside districts serving Norfolk. But the decision would have to be made “out of the kindness of the neighboring community to take some of those students,” Lehan said, emphasizing that the state has made clear that they have no authority to force other districts to enroll children from the Norfolk shelter in their schools.
Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio can be reached at giulia.mcdnr@globe.com. Follow her @giulia.mcdnr.
Massachusetts
EZDriveMA text message scam resurfaces. Here’s what Massachusetts drivers should do if you get one.
BOSTON – A texting scam targeting drivers in Massachusetts has resurfaced. It claims that drivers owe money for unpaid E-ZPass tolls through EZDriveMA.
The scam first appeared back in June and recently surged again during the holidays, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
EZDriveMA scam – how it works
The scammers target drivers using “smishing” where they send a text or email saying they are part of the tolling agency. They claim that a driver has an unpaid toll and that they should settle their bill using a link provided before late fees occur.
“They’re really playing to your psyche, asking you to make sure you avoid these charges and try to do the right thing. And unfortunately, it really gets people roped in,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver told WBZ-TV Friday.
MassDOT urges customers to never click links sent by unknown numbers or emails. They emphasized that they will never send a bill or any information through a text message.
Gulliver says the scam targets people with phone numbers near tolling authorities. The scammers do not have any specific information about their targets but hope to get personal and financial information through the link. He said that he personally received one of the messages.
Dartmouth Police issued a warning to residents about the scam making the rounds again, saying that an officer personally received one of the messages.
What to do if you receive a scam text message
If you think you have received a scam text message, officials say you should not click on any links, do not respond to the message, and do not give out any personal information. They advise people to ignore the message completely and delete it before interacting with it.
If you are concerned about a message, you can validate the authenticity of it by going directly to the toll website or calling the toll authority at 877-627-7745.
If you have already clicked on a link, MassDOT recommends taking precautions to secure your financial and personal information and disputing any unknown charges through your bank.
“First thing you should do, don’t call us. Call your bank or your credit card. If you have already given them some information, make sure you put a hold on whatever account you have, work with their fraud unit to make sure that you’re not exposing yourself to anything more,” Gulliver said.
If you believe you have received one of these scam text messages, you can file a complaint with the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICC).
Past E-ZPass scam
This type of “smishing” scam surged in Massachusetts in 2024. The scam similarly included an invoice advising people to settle an overdue EZDriveMa bill using a provided link.
A retired FBI agent said the scam was successful because it collected cash in small amounts and that people may not have been aware that they had passed through a toll.
Massachusetts
Thursday’s six biggest high school takeaways, including a Gatorade award and a new all-time leading scorer in Saugus – The Boston Globe
While Newton North claimed its third straight Division 1 championship in the fall, on Thursday Sasha Selivan became the first Tiger to be named Gatorade Massachusetts Volleyball Player of the Year.
“Sasha is in a league of her own as far as Massachusetts’ setters go,” said Bishop Feehan coach Heidi Bruschi. “No one else I’ve seen comes close.”
The 5-foot-9-inch sophomore led the Tigers to a 24-1 record with 673 assists, 133 digs, and 115 kills. In the Division 1 final, a 3-0 win over Brookline, she recorded 26 assists and four aces. Selivan is ranked as the nationals’ No. 128 player in the Class of 2027, according to PrepVolleyball, and was the Division 1 tournament MVP and a Division 1 All-State selection.
She maintains an A average in the classroom and volunteers locally as a youth volleyball coach and mentor.
2. DiBiasio keeps scoring for Saugus
While Saugus assistant coach Norma Waggett watched, junior Peyton DiBiasio broke her coach’s all-time program scoring record by netting 27 points to surpass the mark of 1,100 Waggett set in 2013. Saugus lost, 51-40, to Minuteman to fall to 5-2.
3. On to college
In Danvers, St. John’s Prep announced 18 college commitments across eight sports:
Football
Merrick Barlow (Newburyport) to Naval Academy
Graham Roberts (Swampscott) to Harvard
Baseball
Will Shaheen (Portsmouth, N.H.) to Harvard
Nic Lembo (Danvers) to High Point
Lacrosse
Charlie Angell (Winchester) to Pennsylvania
Ryan DeLucia (Winchester) to Georgetown
Luke Kelly (Marblehead) to Michigan
Cameron McCarthy (Marblehead) to Loyola Maryland
JP Sullivan (Swampscott) to Saint Anselm
Jack Weissenburger (Marblehead) to Harvard
Sam Wilmot (Topsfield) to Richmond
Golf
Tripp Hollister (Sudbury) to Bryant
Cross-country
Daniel Padley (South Hamilton) to Holy Cross
Swimming and diving
Kye McClory (Lynnfield) to Holy Cross
Greg Santosus (Marblehead) to Virginia Military Institute
Tennis
Luke Prokopis (Lynnfield) to Holy Cross
Jack Prokopis (Lynnfield) to Holy Cross
Track and field
Noah Kabel (Swampscott) to Sacred Heart
4. Western Mass shuffle
Lots of league movement in Western Mass, particularly in football and girls’ soccer. Check out the reporting from Jesse Koldokin at the Eagle Tribune and Gage Nutter at MassLive.
Here’s the Cliff’s notes version: Chicopee Comprehensive and Holyoke will leave the AA League and be replaced by West Springfield and East Longmeadow. The Tri-County loses Springfield International and gains Belchertown.
In the Suburban South, Wahconah is joined by Pittsfield, Putnam, and Chicopee Comprehensive. The Suburban North will feature Taconic and South Hadley, plus Hoosac Valley, Lee, Easthampton, and Holyoke.
The Intercounty South sees Chicopee, Ludlow, Springfield International, and Northampton join Commerce and Frontier. The Intercounty North remained unchanged.
In girls’ soccer, the Berkshire League’s Grieve division will be Drury, Wahconah, Pittsfield, Lenox, Monument Valley and Mount Greylock. McCann and Hoosac Valley move to the Pioneer South and Taconic, Lee, and Mt. Everett move to the Tri-County North.
5. Thursday’s leaderboard
The top scoring performance of the night came in a defeat as Jacob Klass dropped 35 points for Beverly in a 77-73 loss to Gloucester that saw Nick Deleon score 26 for the Fishermen.
Minuteman’s Muji Vader nabbed 11 steals and added 24 points in a 63-19 win over KIPP Academy, sophomore Divine Egbuta led Lynn Classical with 26 points in a 58-46 win over Somerville, and Notre Dame (Hingham) junior Elle Orlando packed the box score with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 steals in a 72-35 win over Ursuline.
On the ice, Newburyport’s Olivia Wilson netted a hat trick in a 7-3 win over Stoneham/Wilmington and Justin Thibert delivered three goals for Shawsheen in a 9-1 win against Nashoba Tech/Greater Lowell.
Freshman netminder Suki ten Brinke saved all 18 shots she faced to record her first shutout of the season in Lincoln-Sudbury’s 3-0 win over Westford, and Central Catholic junior Sydney Foster made 21 saves in her first shutout of the season, a 7-0 defeat of Wayland.
6. Linked up
Before we bid adieu, a few things we’ve written recently, starting with Trevor Hass’s story on Bishop Feehan honoring the late local hoops legend Mike Babul by wearing black wristbands featuring his initials during a win over Bishop Fenwick.
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts State Police release Body Camera footage of Nick Cocchi arrest
LUDLOW, Mass (WWLP) – Massachusetts State Police have released body camera footage from the arrest of Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi back in September.
The public is now getting a glimpse into the night of September 21st, when Sheriff Nick Cocchi was arrested by Massachusetts State Police outside of MGM Springfield. The night his state issued white Ford Explorer was found without a front right tire in the valet section of the garage.
The video shows the interaction with Cocchi and law enforcement as they are trying to piece together what happened.
“Yeah, ok, wanna go down that road, huh? ok,” says Sheriff Cocchi. The state trooper responds, “I want to take everything right by the numbers and by the books, sir.”
At first when asked who was driving, Cocchi said a friend, then later admitting it was him behind the wheel. The trooper also saying he can smell alcohol, asking Cocchi how much he had to drink. To which he responds he had “a couple beers” when he was at the Springfield Country Club, but nothing at MGM Springfield.
Cocchi also declined a field sobriety test, multiple times.
Since the incident, Cocchi says he has taken full responsibility for his behavior.
“I’m not looking for empathy or sympathy. I’m not looking for people to give me a pass. All I’m asking for people to do and all I’ve said that I am is human, and I have integrity, I have honesty, and I have character. And I will always try to be the best version of myself, and that night I wasn’t,” said Sheriff Cocchi in response to the video release.
In regards to that night, Cocchi praises the troopers, saying throughout this process, he should not be treated differently from anyone else.
Cocchi also said quote “Since the incident, I have done everything possible to show the public that I believe in transparency and accountability, especially in myself.”
He said at the Sheriff’s Department, they believe people are not defined by moments like these, but rather how they handle those moments.
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