New Bedford Public Schools (NBPS) is a
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
serving
New Bedford
New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...
,
, United States. Its headquarters are in the Paul Rodrigues Administration Building.
During the 2006–07 academic year, the New Bedford school district (then under the direction of Superintendent Michael Longo) was one of several in Massachusetts labeled as "underperforming" under the state's
MCAS guidelines. The school system, like that of nearby Fall River, is also in the process of major school upgrades and consolidations, having rebuilt several of its schools in recent years. The most recent, Keith Middle School, required a cleanup of the polluted soil on the site.
The district administrative departments are headquartered the Paul Rodrigues Administration Bldg., housed in the former New Bedford High School high building on County Street, is made up of twenty-five schools.
It is one of two districts, along with
Fairhaven School District, that takes
Acushnet students for secondary school.
History
By 2019 the district received an influx of students speaking the
Kʼicheʼ language. In 2019 an advocacy group for the
Maya people complained to the courts that the school district was not providing adequate Kʼicheʼ language services. As of December 2022, New Bedford Public Schools had 161 enrolled students who speak primarily K’iché out of its 13,000 student population. The
U.S. Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
and the school district came to resolution so the school district could provide appropriate Kʼicheʼ language services. The
Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 requires school districts to provide services to speakers of languages other than English.
Demographics
In 2022, the student count was 13,000; these students spoke 40 languages and originated from 25 countries. Of the total students, 5,000 were classified as having
English as a second language. 42% of the total student body had a home language other than English.
References
Further reading
* - Regarding Kiche language services
External links
New Bedford Public Schools
School districts in Bristol County, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
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