Top stories: School security in Freetown, Edaville returns, and the Whalers win
As we head into the weekend, let's take a look at the news from this past week.
After seven years of repairs, the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey is set to return to New Bedford. While a model of the ship has been on display in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the real Ernestina-Morrissey is scheduled to arrive in her home port of New Bedford later this month or early next month. While in New Bedford, the Ernestina-Morrissey will dock at the New Bedford State Pier where she will be made available for educational programming and cultural events such as Cape Verdean Recognition Week. She will then return to her home base at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Dartmouth High School has been named a "National Banner" school by Special Olympics International for the strides made in its Unified Sports program — one of the first of its kind in the region. According to Dartmouth High special education teacher John Breault, who leads the school's Unified Sports programming, this year marks the second consecutive recognition of Dartmouth High as a banner school.
Keep up with high school sports with scores, game highlights, and player of the week voting at https://www.southcoasttoday.com/sports.
Then there are the most-read stories of the week on https://www.southcoasttoday.com:
New Bedford paraprofessionals file complaint after district adds new duty: changing diapers
The New Bedford Federation of Paraprofessionals/AFT 2378 has filed a legal challenge against New Bedford Public Schools over what members say has been a new addition to job duties for some this year: paraprofessionals can be required to change middle and high school students' diapers, some of whom are of adult age.
"We are performing diaper changing and toilet duties with adult students," said New Bedford High School paraprofessional Lawrence Genereux during the public comment segment of Monday's School Committee meeting. "This year (Supervisor of Special Education Instruction) Ms. (Elizabeth) Camara instructed the paras at the high school to assume those duties saying there was a clause in the job description. We neither have the staff nor do we have the proper training. It can be a health issue if a para doesn't clean a student right and the student ends up with a rash or an infection."
AFT 2378 President Jill Zangao — a paraprofessional at Campbell Elementary School — said that some paraprofessionals took a brief training at the high school this year which the union feels was insufficient, also noting not every paraprofessional was able to attend.
Schools:New Bedford paraprofessionals file complaint after district adds new duty: changing diapers
Freetown mom tried to expose school security failures. Now she's facing charges.
Police said on Monday that a Freetown woman has charges headed her way after she reportedly took it upon herself to test out the integrity of school security at Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District, successfully gaining entry to two school buildings using false names.
She'd expressed concerns over school security to district administrators the day before, to which they reportedly suggested she visit Freetown Elementary School to see recent security upgrades there firsthand, including a new vestibule security window. She also told reporters of a recent conversation she'd had with one of her children over worries prompted by the deadly May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
On social media, discourse around Thursday's incidents showed both approval and disapproval of the mother's actions, with a number of individuals expressing mixed feelings about it.
Security: This Freetown mom tried to expose school security failures. Now she's facing charges.
Three-alarm fire in New Bedford's North End displaces 23 residents
A fire at a 25-unit apartment complex in the North End displaced close to two dozen residents Wednesday morning. The office of Organization Maya-Ki'che' — one of the oldest Maya advocacy organizations in the U.S. — is located on the first floor of the building.
According to the Chief of the New Bedford Fire Department, Scott Kruger, authorities were alerted to the three-alarm fire shortly before 10 a.m. Kruger stated that the six fire engines and three ladder trucks from New Bedford, aided by an engine from the Fairhaven Fire Department, had the fire under control within an hour.
Emergency: Three-alarm fire in New Bedford's North End displaces 23 residents
New Bedford wins battle against Durfee in 130th meeting
The storied holiday rivalry between Durfee and New Bedford just got a little more heated on Thursday. Instead of the traditional handshake at midfield, police and school security escorted both teams off the field after a brief skirmish between players broke out that spilled over to the Durfee sidelines.
The Whalers snapped a two-game losing skid to Durfee that dated back to 2019 with a 16-13 victory over the Hilltoppers before a large gathering at Paul Walsh field on the campus of New Bedford High School.
Football:'Turkey Day' heated rivalry: New Bedford wins battle against Durfee in 130th meeting
Trains, Christmas lights, rides: How Edaville's new owner is getting 'back to its roots'
As the train pulls into Edaville Station with puffs of black smoke filling the air, children and their families wait excitedly to meet Santa. The Edaville Christmas Wonderland at Edaville Family Theme Park in Carver has returned under new ownership.
New owner Brian Fanslau said preserving Edaville’s history was a big reason he wanted to buy the business but he also did it for the people who work at the park. “Edaville I think needs to get back its roots,” he said. “It’s got to go back to its local brand, local theme, and be more family-oriented.”
Family fun: Trains, Christmas lights, rides: How Edaville's new owner is getting 'back to its roots'
All of these stories can be found in their entirety at SouthCoastToday.com.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Top Stories: Paraprofessionals put on diaper duty, Thanksgiving rivalry, and Christmas fun
