Councilors file resolution for ‘Sundays for All’ to expand free museum access for Boston students
Two Boston city councilors have filed a resolution calling for “Sundays for All,” which would expand access to city cultural sites for Boston Public Schools students and their families.
Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy filed the resolution at this week’s council meeting. The program grants city students and up to three family members free admission to visit six of Boston’s leading cultural institutions on the first and second Sunday of each month.
The participating institutions include the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Children’s Museum, Museum of Science, Institute of Contemporary Art, Franklin Park Zoo and the Aquarium.
Mayor Michelle Wu announced the new program at the State of the City last month. The program, which is in partnership with the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, and the cultural institutions, will expand access to the museums for over 45,000 Boston Public Schools students and their families.
“We’re very fortunate to have so many excellent museums and cultural institutions here in the City of Boston. While BPS Sundays is a great program for our BPS students and families to take advantage of, we also need to ensure that our non-BPS students and families - many who are low-income and from communities of color - have equal access,” Flynn said in a statement. “These students and their families deserve these wonderful opportunities as well.”
There are currently over 23,000 non-Boston Public Schools students who attend charter schools, parochial or private schools, METCO, or are homeschooled, where over 80% of charter schools students are students of color and over 70% are from low-income households, city officials said.
“This museum initiative is wonderful, but it is a missed opportunity if we don’t open it up to all of our families in Boston,” Murphy said in a statement. “That is why we are asking our colleagues to join us in supporting expanding the program to include ALL children and families in Boston. We need to be more inclusive and ensure that we are leaving no child behind.”
For more information, contact Murphy’s office at 617-635-3115 and Erin.Murphy@Boston.gov, and Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 and Ed.Flynn@Boston.gov.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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