Superintendent Update
May 15, 2026
Dear Bedford Public Schools Community,
At the School Committee's May 19th meeting, we will continue our discussion about the impact of technology on student wellbeing, with a particular focus on Chromebook use at JGMS. This conversation will take place alongside the review of updated Acceptable Use of Technology policies and the new unified district student and family handbook. Our local discussions are also occurring within a broader statewide and national conversation, including pending state legislation that would ban student cell phone use in schools and restrict children’s access to social media. We appreciate the community’s thoughtful engagement as we continue working together to support the wellbeing of all students.
Best,
Cliff Chuang 莊 宏 毅
Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools
May: Asian American & Pacific Islander Month, Jewish American Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month
- May 16: Armed Forces Day
- May 19: School Committee Meeting
- May 25: District Closed - Memorial Day
- June 4: BHS Graduation at Tsongas Center, Lowell, 6:15 pm
- June 7: Annual Bedford Holi Festival Celebration, 2:30-4:30 pm
- June 9: School Committee Meeting
- June 14: Annual Bedford Pride Event, 2-4 pm
- June 19: District Closed- Juneteenth
- June 22: Last Day of School - Early Dismissal
At the May 5 School Committee meeting, the Committee received updates on the Healthy School Hours Initiative, including feedback from student and parent working groups regarding school start times, student wellness, transportation, and technology use. The Committee also reviewed proposed finance policy revisions and discussed long term capital planning needs for district facilities and infrastructure. At its May 19 meeting, the Bedford School Committee will hear about student achievement through a Math Counts presentation, conduct a first read of the districtwide handbook and acceptable technology use policies, discuss the use of Chromebooks at JGMS, and celebrate Bedford Public Schools being named a Massachusetts Green Ribbon School for the 2025–26 school year. Meeting agendas, schedules, and supporting documents are always available at School Committee - Meeting Schedule & Supporting Documents.
The district is piloting the Lightspeed Parent Portal for families at JGMS and BHS, a tool designed to give families greater visibility into their students’ online activity on district-issued devices. Participating families will be able to view internet usage, and better support responsible technology use at home. Feedback from this pilot will help inform potential broader implementation in the future. Families interested in participating in the pilot are encouraged to complete the interest form here by the end of the day on Friday, May 22nd.
By Benjamin Krosner, parent of a Davis School student and newly appointed to the Bedford Finance Committee.
May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Only by a series of miraculous events am I able to sit here today writing that I am a Jewish American. My grandfather, Leo Young, was born in 1926 in Vienna, “the City of Dreams.” World War I had transformed it into what he called “a city of nightmares.”
Leo was 11 when Nazi Germany annexed Austria. Antisemitism, already rampant, became official policy. The Nazis quickly made the schools judenrein, “cleansed of Jews.” His family escaped to Great Britain the day before the Nazis came to their home looking for them. Leo immigrated to the US in 1953 to work for Westinghouse. He earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins, raised a family, worked at the Naval Research Laboratory, and eventually served as President of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In 1981, Leo joined the Pentagon as Director of Research. One of his proudest accomplishments was helping establish National Security Decision Directive 189, a policy protecting openness in fundamental scientific research. Decades earlier, he had fled a regime that used exclusion and censorship to decide who belonged and what could be known. In the US, he helped defend the idea that knowledge, education, and public service should remain open. Jewish American Heritage Month gives us a chance to honor these histories, remember what’s possible when people are given refuge and opportunity, and recommit ourselves to building a school community where every student knows they belong.
As part of Jewish American Heritage Month, the Bedford Parents Diversity Council and the Rotary Club will host a Community Dinner on May 27 featuring Jewish and Middle Eastern dishes, followed by a free screening at the Library of A Real Pain (2024), a film exploring family history, memory, and identity through the story of two cousins traveling through Poland to honor their grandmother. Click here for more information.
In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, Bedford High School junior Will Cefalo is organizing the 2nd Annual Toiletry Drive to benefit veterans at the Bedford VA Hospital. Please consider donating new, unopened full-size or travel-size toiletries such as deodorant, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, razors, lotion, toothpaste, and other everyday essentials. Drop-off will take place on Sunday, May 31st, from 9AM to 12PM at the St. Michael Parish Center, 90 Concord Road in Bedford. There are also drop-off boxes in the church entrances. If you are unable to drop off donations, pick-up arrangements can be made by calling 617-943-1375. Thank you for your generosity and for supporting our local veterans and all those who have served our country.