Your Local News, Sports & Information Online! Scan and Subscribe! Vol. 34, No. 39 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday SCHOOL COMMITTEE: Malden Public Schools enrollment dips slightly, but many new students still arriving Superintendent Dr. Sippel notes DESE reporting date of October 1 with numbers factoring into state Chapter 70 aid determination By Steve Freker T he Malden Public Schools hosts one of the largest populations in the greater Boston area, consistently over 6,000 students for much of the past decade. Over this past summer, the number of students in the district dipped slightly, some 175 students — down about 2.7% since the end of the 20242025 school year in June — according to figures supplied by second-year Superintendent of SCHOOL | SEE PAGE 4 617-387-2200 Friday, September 26, 2025 Mass. Senate advances three bills: to combat opioid crisis, protect people with IDDs and lower car rental costs Special to The Advocate O n September 18, 2025, State Senator Jason Lewis joined Student enrollment dipped about 2.7% from the end of last school year in the Malden Public Schools, but an influx of new students — new to the city and transferring to the Malden district — has led to rising numbers since the start of the 2025-26 school year. (Courtesy/MPS Photos) MALDEN’S McGUFFIE HAS SOMERVILLE’S ‘NUMBER’ Sophomore star runs for 255 yards and 2 TDs in Home Opener, 14-12 his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to approve three bills — aimed at combatting the opioid epidemic, protecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) and lowering car rental costs for residents. The approved legislation expands protections for individuals using testing equipment to protect against fentanyl, updates an existing protection law to close an unintended gap for day habilitation participants, and changes car rental insurance requirements to reduce costs for Massachusetts residents. On September 22 the House of Representatives referred the bills to its committee on Ways & Means. “The Massachusetts Senate is committed to improving the quality of life for our residents by passing legislation that lowers costs and increases safety,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “These bills will secure safeguards for people in day habilitation programs, lower rental car costs, and help reduce the number of opioid overdoses and deaths.” An Act relative to fentanyl test strips exempts fentanyl test Jason Lewis State Senator equipment from the list of prohibited drug paraphernalia and expands liability protections to anyone who provides, administers or uses the tests, including first responders. Fentanyl strips are a simple, low-cost and safe way to help reduce the tragic toll of overdoses and make life-saving tools accessible to those who need them most. An Act to update Nicky’s Law to protect individuals with disabilities in MassHealth day habilitation programs ensures that the existing statewide registry that prevents individuals BILLS | SEE PAGE 3 Malden High sophomore star running back Jayden McGuffie ran for 255 yards and scored all the Tornado points, 2 TDs and the winning margin, a 2-pt. conversion in a 14-12 Malden win in the home opener. Above, McGuffie stiff arms Somerville’s Ryan Louis on his way to a 66-yard TD run in the first quarter. Story and photos page 10. (Advocate Photo/Henry Huang)
2 Publizr Home