The week ahead: School Committee back in session

Update (Sept. 4): This article has been updated to include the Disability Services Commission meeting on Friday and to reflect the cancellation of the Conservation Commission meeting.

As we swing back into September, school isn’t the only thing that’s in session — so is the city’s School Committee. In fact, many of Waltham’s boards and commissions that have been on pause for the summer are starting up their regular meetings this month.

Board of Survey and Planning

The Board of Survey and Planning is a seven-member board in charge of regulating public and private ways and making decisions on the status and boundaries of lots in the city.

This week, the board will be considering two cases: granting a special use permit for a gas station at 962 Main St. that would allow it to continue to use four driveways that are larger than permitted by the zoning code, and endorsing an existing Approval Not Required plan for a lot at 495 Lincoln St.

The BSP will hold its monthly September meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, in the auditorium of the Clark Government Center.

School Committee

The Waltham School Committee is an elected six-member committee chaired by Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy that makes policy and oversight decisions for the Waltham District School Board.

This week, among other items of business, the School Committee is scheduled to approve Christine Young as a medication program manager through the state Department of Public Health’s school health services. It is also going to revisit a discussion from previous meetings about codifying a National Honor Society Open Campus Policy, and will be discussing a policy in response to recent legislation by the state to prohibit cell phone use in schools by next fall.

The School Committee will hold its meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, in the James J. Cannon Lecture Hall of the old high school at 617 Lexington St.

Waltham Cultural Council

The Waltham Cultural Council is a part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council local council program, and allocates funds for arts, sciences and humanities projects and events focusing on Waltham’s “rich cultural life” and local history, according to its website.

Examples of past grants they’ve funded include community farm outreach days, the Concerts on the Common, grants to nonprofits like Opportunities For Inclusion and for a series of African musical instrument and dance performances.

The WCC’s grant application cycle begins on Sept. 1 and it is holding its first meeting since the summer to discuss its fall timeline over Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Conservation Commission

The Conservation Commission is a volunteer board charged with overseeing environmental planning in Waltham. The commission reviews certain types of construction on or around wetlands to ensure it complies with the Wetlands Protection Act and the Department of Environmental Protection stormwater standards.

The commission meeting was originally scheduled to be held over Zoom at 7 p.m. Thursday, but the city announced last week it was canceled. Its next meeting will be on Sept. 18.

Disability Services Commission

The Disability Services Commission is a seven-person board that works to make Waltham more accessible for residents with disabilities. They advocate for and direct funds for projects like physical accessibility improvements to public buildings, obtaining medical and learning resources, improving available signage and interpretation services, and removing snow and installing curb cuts to make it easier to navigate Waltham streets.

It plans to tackle a list of issues including additional resources for the playground at 200 Trapelo Road, the installation of new sponsored benches in the city, a voluntary form for disabled residents to notify 911 responders of a disability, and improvements to the commission website.

The commission meeting will be held over Zoom at 8:30 a.m. Friday. The Zoom meeting ID is 85201173416 and the password to access it is 489278.