Wayland School Committee backs new elementary health curriculum, $50,000 anti-hate grant

WAYLAND -- February 14, 2024, Wayland wins maximum $50,000 anti-hate grant and rolls out new elementary health curriculum. Acting Superintendent David Fleishman told the School Committee on Feb. 14 that the district was among a handful awarded the top amount under the state's anti-hate crime prevention grant, money he said will fund student programming, staff training and an updated non-discrimination protocol "by the start of the school year next fall." Wellness Director Scott Parseghian and specialist Jenny Flynn reported that a 12-lesson pilot has reached every fifth-grader across the three elementary schools, with anonymous surveys showing 100 percent of students could name a caring and trusted adult and 72.4 percent of caregivers saying their child brought a health-class topic home. Finance Director Susan Bottan said retroactive payments from the $1.189 million salary reserve transfer have been issued, with wage increases hitting paychecks Feb. 22 and March 7. Resident Dave Bernstein told the committee the town's five-year capital plan contains "zero dollars" for its 27 grass fields.