North Reading Public Schools awarded $50K Hate Crime Prevention Grant

The North Reading Public Schools (NRPS) have been awarded a $50,000 Hate Crime Prevention Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to help prevent hate crimes and combat incidences of bias in the local school system.

North Reading was one of 23 public school districts recently approved for FY25 grant funding, ranging from $9,800 to $50,000, by DESE Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston. House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) congratulated North Reading Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Daly and Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Sean Killeen for securing the funding.

According to Superintendent Daly, the grant “will be used to continue programs that will impact the students and staff at all five schools as well as the entire community of North Reading.” He noted that for the 2024-2025 academic year, NRPS is continuing its partnership with Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society “to offer workshops for students, faculty, staff, as well as offerings for families and the community.”

“The overwhelming response from those who participated in previous years was positive and our goal is to build our capacity to sustain similar training sessions in the future,” Superintendent Daly said. “We are looking to create a culture that is proactive in addressing concerns related to hate crimes and incidents of bias-motivated conflict and to promote the awareness and understanding of the research behind these evidence-based strategies.”

“The district is thankful for the funding to support this important work,” noted Killeen.

Superintendent Daly indicated that the schools received significant feedback from students and staff who participated in previous training sessions. He added that he hopes to incorporate “their ideas and suggestions, including additional opportunities for high school students to guide middle school students through scenarios that will help them be upstanders in challenging social situations.”

Representative Jones and Senator Tarr praised North Reading for its pro-active efforts to combat hate crimes.

“The North Reading Public Schools have been at the forefront in helping to educate students about the importance of recognizing and preventing hate crimes that single out a particular individual or group,” said Representative Jones. “The programming being offered to local students will enable them to respond more effectively to incidents that are motivated by prejudicial behavior and to play an active role in fighting against discrimination.”

“Hate crimes not only have devastating impacts on individuals, they tear at the fabric of our society,” said Senator Tarr. “Preventing them from happening is an important strategy, and one well-served through education. These grant funds will fuel the leadership of the North Reading Schools in playing a powerful role in that effort.”