The Advocate - A household word in Malden for 30 years! Vol. 30, No. 34 -FREE- www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, August 27, 2021 Malden city, health officials: Save lives, protect loved ones by getting vaccinated Pictured from left: City Councillors Paul Condon and Peg Crowe, Herbert L. Jackson, Jr., Kendall Van Allen, Kennedi Van Allen (great-grandchildren of Herbert L. Jackson, Sr.) Mayor Gary Christenson, Angela Rue-Van Allen (Lee's daughter-in-law), David Van Allen, Jr. (Lee's son), Lee Jackson Van Allen (Herb Jackson's daughter), Loren Van Allen (Lee's daughter), City Council President Neal Anderson, State Representative Paul Donato, City Councillor-At-Large Craig Spadafora City Councillor Jadeane Sica, State Representative Steve Ultrino, State Senator Jason Lewis, City Councillors Barbara Murphy, Amanda Linehan and Steve Winslow. (Photo Courtesy of the City of Malden) Mayor, City Officials, Family attend Re-dedication of Herbert L. Jackson City Council Chambers T his week the City of Malden held a festive rededication event formally naming the City Council Chambers at 215 Pleasant Street in honor of former City Councillor Herbert L. Jackson. The public event fi ttingly marked the first celebration held inside the Council Chambers and lobby of the new building. A contingent of Herb Jackson’s family including his daughter Lee Jackson Van Allen and his son Herbert Jackson, Jr. were in attendance. City Council President Neal Anderson served as emcee, Mayor Gary Christenson brought greetings from the City and Lee Jackson Van Allen off ered remarks about her father and Back-To-School in Malden: Excitement, anticipation mixed with some uncertainty MPS Supt. Noriega-Murphy relays info to staff, caregivers, students in well-attended virtual meetings By Steve Freker M alden Public Schools (MPS) fi rst-year Supt. Ligia Noriega-Murphy outlined back-toschool plans for the much-anticipated September 1 return of students this week in a pair of virtual meetings. On Monday afternoon, Supt. Noriega made a presentation to MPS educators, administrators and support staff and then fi elded questions in a virtual session of close to 90 minutes. Tuesday evening, she returned to the Zoom format and fielded more than 100 questions at a second well-attended meeting, this one planned for parents and caregivers of the district’s 6,200 students in grades pre-K-12. In both meetings, Supt, Noriega-Murphy stressed that the health, safety and well-being of everyone in the Malden Public Schools — students, staff and all of their families — were of utmost importance and that all decisions were based on those parameters. Some of the biggest news of this past week regarding backto-school protocols involved the wearing of masks for students inside the schools. Supt. Noriega-Murphy confi rmed that the policy of all students and staff wearing masks to cover their mouths and nose would be in eff ect as of September 1. With no offi cial guidance from the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) in place at the time, the Malden School Committee voted unanimously at a special meeting held last Thursday, August 19, for all students and staff in grades K-12 in the Malden Public Schools to wear a mask when classes resumed on September 1. That vote was ultimately superseded Wednesday when Mass. Education Commissioner Jeff rey Riley announced a statewide mask mandate for Massachusetts schools that officially went into effect on Wednesday afternoon for students aged fi ve and above, staff and visitors to schools. At this week’s virtual meetings, Supt., Noriega Murphy shared the following information to all: All students in grades pre-K and 1-12 will return to school and resume classes on Wednesday, September 1. Kindergarten students and their parents will be attending orientation sessions at their respective schools BACK-TO-SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 7 his legacy. Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Steve Ultrino and Paul Donato were in attendance as were many former and current City RE-DEDICATION | SEE PAGE 5 Local experts: The only patients in the ICU units of hospitals from Cape Cod to Maine are those who are unvaccinated By Steve Freker T he Mayor said it. The Health Department director said it. And so did top offi cials from the city's largest medical partner as well as a representative from the Board of Health. The message delivered at Monday night's COVID-19 update presentation was unanimous to all Malden residents and those who work in and visit this community. Save lives and protect your SAVE LIVES | SEE PAGE 9 Rep. Clark secures more than $15M for Malden schools U .S. RepresentativeKatherine Clark recently announced that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) approved Massachusetts’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plans and distributed the remaining ARP ESSER funds to them. Massachusetts’s plan details how the state is using and plans to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunities for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Public education is the bedrock of our democracy and the path to success for our nation’s children,” said Clark. “But this pandemic has put an immeasurable toll on kids across the REP. CLARK | SEE PAGE 10
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