RMV Offers Motorcycle Rider Safety Programs

BOSTON — The Registry of Motor Vehicles has started the Massachusetts Rider Education Program's (MREP) spring motorcycle safety campaign, encouraging riders of all experience levels to enroll in professional training as the riding season gets underway across Massachusetts. 

This year's motorcycle safety and awareness season was kicked off with a proclamation from Gov. Maura Healey. 

The program's mission is to reduce motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities by expanding access to Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) approved training along with increasing safety awareness among both riders and drivers. The program supports a statewide network of nine certified training schools across 22 locations, with over 110 Rider Coaches who are MSF-certified.  

Motorcyclists can choose from a wide range of courses designed for new, returning, and experienced riders. Options include introductory sessions, license-waiver courses, advanced skill development, and specialized training such as on-street instruction and track-day coaching. 

Courses may include a mix of online learning, classroom sessions, and on-motorcycle exercises, and students must complete all required components including knowledge tests or riding evaluations to receive credit. 

Key offerings include:

• Introductory Motorcycle Experience 
• Basic Rider Course (License Waiver) 
• Basic Rider Course 2 (License Waiver) 
• Three-Wheel Basic Rider Course (License Waiver) 
• Advanced Rider Courses and Skills Practice 
• Ride Like a Pro 
• On-Street Motorcycle Training 
• Advanced Parking Lot Course 
• Individual Track Day Training 

Graduates of the Basic Rider Course, Basic Rider Course 2, or Three-Wheel Basic Rider Course, which are license waiver courses, may qualify for exemption from the RMV motorcycle road test and the associated $35 fee. Many insurance providers also offer a limited 10 percent discount on Massachusetts' motorcycle insurance for riders who complete an approved license waiver course. Students under 18 should contact their training school for details regarding course eligibility. 

In addition to the three license waiver courses, the certified motorcycle schools offer advanced training courses for motorcyclists to increase their knowledge and experience. Courses available include the Advanced Rider Course, First Ride (introductory course to see if motorcycling is for you), Sidecar and Trike Education Program, Ride Like a Pro, Riding In the Zone, Stayin Safe, and Dirt Bike Courses.  

Spring marks the return of many riders to the road and is one of the highest risk periods of the year. Drivers are adjusting to seeing motorcycles again, road surfaces may still be recovering from winter, and riders may be reacclimating to skills they haven't used for several months. 

To help reduce crashes, MREP encourages all drivers this season to: 

• Look twice before turning or changing lanes. 
• Check mirrors and blind spots carefully. 
• Give motorcycles extra space. 
• Avoid distractions and stay alert. 
• Remember that motorcycles may be closer—and moving faster—than they appear. 

A full list of motorcycle rider schools and training locations is available on the RMV's Massachusetts Rider Education Program webpage. 

Community Meeting Addresses Prejudice in Pittsfield Schools

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:49PM / Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Johanna Lenski, a special education surrogate parent and advocate, says there's a 'deeply troubling' professional culture at Herberg that lets discriminatory actions and language slip by.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Around 60 community members gathered at Conte Community School on Monday night to discuss issues with prejudice in the district. 

The event was hosted by the Pittsfield Public Schools in partnership with the Berkshire NAACP and the Westside Legends. It began with breaking bread in the school's cafeteria, and caregivers then expressed fears about children's safety due to bullying, a lack of support for children who need it the most, and teachers using discriminatory and racist language. 

"One thing I've learned is that as we try to improve, things look really bad because we're being open about ways that we're trying to improve, and I think it's really important that we acknowledge that," interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said, reflecting on her work in several other districts before coming to PPS last summer.  

"It is very easy to stay at the surface and try to look really good, and it may look like others are better than us, when they're really just doing a better job of just kind of maintaining the status quo and sweeping things under the carpet."

Brett Random, the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start, wrote on her personal Facebook page that her daughter reported her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (n-word) and a homophobic slur (f-word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."

The school department confirmed that an eighth-grade teacher at the middle school was placed on leave.  

The Berkshire Eagle, which first reported on the incident, identified the teacher as Rebecca Nitsche, and the teacher told the paper over the phone, "All I can tell you is it's not how it appears." Nitsche told the paper she repeated the words a student used while reporting the incident to another teacher because officials needed to know it happened. 

Johanna Lenski, speaking as a special education surrogate parent and parent advocate, on Monday said there is a "deeply troubling" professional culture at Herberg that has allowed discriminatory, racist, non-inclusive, and ableist treatment of students.

She said a Black transgender student was called a "piss poor, punk, puke of a kid," and repeatedly and intentionally misgendered by one of the school's teachers, and then wrongfully accused of physically assaulting that teacher, which resulted in a 10-day suspension. 

Another Herberg student with disabilities said the same staff member disclosed to an entire classroom that they lived in a group home and were in state Department of Children and Families' custody. When the teacher was asked to come to an individualized education program meeting for that student, Lenski said he "spent approximately 20 minutes attacking this child's character and portraying her as a problem, rather than a student in need of services and protection and support."