New Bedford Schools

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has been testing the water in New Bedford schools as part of a volunary program, and the results are in. A small number of samples came back with some contaminates, but neither school officials or the DEP are concerned...

Students at Keith Middle School received a behind-the-scenes look at police work recently through the Junior Police Academy. The eight-week program is led by New Bedford Police School Resource Officer Julio Barbosa. Twenty-five students participating in the voluntary program learned different aspects of police work, such as handcuffing, physical fitness and different types of laws...

New Bedford schools will undergo a three-year redistricting plan for middle school students beginning next fall, Superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin told WBSM News. Durkin said 50 students finishing at the Carl Pacheco School at the end of this school year will go to Keith Middle School instead of Normandin Middle School next fall, as the school system is looking to equalize the population across the ci

New Bedford Public Schools got a favorable review from the state for the first three months of their new improvement plan. "We have a long way to go, but this was a major milestone," superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin told WBSM News. Durkin said that after three and a half years of having to work with a plan manager under state monitoring, this was the first time the school system was able t

New Bedford Police Chief Joseph Cordeiro responded Wednesday to the reassignment of former detective Chris Cotter, stating the move was not politically motivated. Cotter was told Tuesday that he was being reassignment from the department's Juvenile/Sexual Assault Unit back to the uniform division...

Superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin says starting the school year earlier than in past years is important to give students and teachers more time to learn.  This is particularly important at the Hayden McFadden Elementary School, which opened for business on Wednesday, due to it's ranking as a Level 4 school...

After nearly three hours of discussions, the New Bedford teachers union approved a new three-year contract on Thursday. Teachers at New Bedford elementary, middle, and high schools attended the meeting held in the Keith Middle School auditorium...

This very disturbing video comes from Tifton County, Georgia, where a teacher appears to intentionally knee a four-year-old special needs student, knocking him to the ground. The video, which sparked outrage on when posted on WBSM's social media platforms, begs the question--if Tifton County schools can have cameras placed in their classrooms and hallways, why can't New Bedford...

New Bedford Educators Assocation President Louis St. John called in to my Saturday morning show on WBSM to share his views on some of the morning's discussions, related to Dr. Pia Durkin and her interview with The Standard-Times in which she denies there is a discipline problem in New Bedford schools...

Superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin says discipline in New Bedford Public Schools is a "shared  responsibility" that involves students, teachers, administrators and parents, and that no one person can solve all the issues. Durkin told WBSM News on Thursday, some changes are already underway at Keith Middle School, where reports of student disruptions have been on the rise...