BOSTON – A decision from the state Senate on whether to pursue charter school expansion or leave the issue for Massachusetts voters to settle next year may not come until early January, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst) said Wednesday after a private bipartisan meeting to weigh the pros and cons.
The Senate holds the trump card that will determine which path charter school advocates will have to walk to pursue expansion. While ballot petitioners can look to election day next year if the Senate declines to pursue a bill, proponents on Beacon Hill, including Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, have expressed their preference for legislative action.
BOSTON – Bella Bond, the little girl whose body was discovered stuffed in a trash bag on the shores of Deer Island, remained with her mother – who now faces charges in her daughter's death – only after state child-welfare workers prematurely closed an examination into the toddler's home life, a state investigation has determined.
The Department of Children and Families hastily closed an abuse investigation involving Bella and her home life in September 2013, the Office of the Child Advocate said Wednesday in a report. Rachelle Bond, Bella's mother, had a history of drug abuse, prostitution and restraining orders that was known to the agency, according to the review.
