No Drought Conditions in Berkshire County

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BOSTON — Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared that Berkshire County remains at a level 0 drought designation.
 
As outlined in the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan, Level 0-Normal Conditions?status warrants continued monitoring of drought conditions, close coordination among state and federal agencies, and technical outreach and assistance to the affected municipalities if drought conditions return.?
 
Tepper added that following several months of above normal rainfall, the Islands Region will be downgraded from Level 1-Mild Drought to Level 0-Normal Conditions.
 
All other regions of the state remain in Level 0-Normal Conditions.  
 
"After several months of experiencing drought conditions, I am pleased to declare that the Islands region has returned to normal. However, we need to continue practicing water conservation methods to enable full recovery and minimize impacts of future droughts across the State,"?said Secretary Tepper.?"The Healey-Driscoll Administration thanks those who contributed to our drought resiliency efforts. We must take an all-of-government approach to address these challenges as we experience more extreme and frequent weather events due to climate change."
 
The declaration is the result of recommendations made by the state's Drought Management Task Force, which is composed of state and federal officials, and other entities.? 
 
The Drought Management Task Force will not meet until drought conditions set in again. State agencies will, however, continue to closely monitor and assess conditions across Massachusetts, coordinate any needed dissemination of information to the public, and help state, federal, and local agencies prepare additional responses that may be needed in the future.

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DCF Clears Two Pittsfield High Administrators

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.—The Department of Children and Families has reportedly cleared two Pittsfield High School administrators of misconduct: Dean of Students Molly West and Vice Principal Alison Shepard.

On Friday, School Committee Chair William Cameron confirmed that DCF’s 51A investigation of allegations of abuse or neglect made against PHS Dean of Students Molly West was unsupported.

"(Superintendent Joseph Curtis) told me yesterday that his office has received formal notice from DCF that the agency's investigation of those allegations has been completed, and that the allegations were found to be unsupported," Cameron wrote VIA email.

Earlier in the week, he announced that the first part of a committee-initiated investigation led by Mary-Lou Rup, a retired Superior Court judge, was completed and West, one of the school’s two deans, was cleared by Rup.  

iBerkshires inquired about the DCF investigation running parallel.  On Thursday, Cameron said the district has reason to believe that DCF's investigation has cleared West, but he did not have written confirmation of that assertion.

"I have been told by [interim Deputy Superintendent Matt] Bishop, who is the Pittsfield Public Schools' contact with DCF in these matters, that the agency's investigation of Ms. West was returned with a determination that the allegations made against her were unsupported," he wrote.

"I have not seen formal confirmation of this from DCF. Apparently, its report to Dr. Bishop was provided through a conversation."

The Berkshire Eagle Wednesday night reported that DCF has determined that allegations of misconduct against PHS Vice Principal Alison Shepard were unsupported.  The Eagle also reported that DCF cleared Berkshire Family YMCA staff member Taverick "Tank" Roberson in January and he returned from administrative leave.

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