[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6072942,"mediaKeyId","3000791-9a104c4091ade686920b1dadbc232b87","parentId",3000791,"title","Madison board approves $8,500 fencing donation and adopts several policy updates; minutes approved with one abstention","audioSeconds",250,"startMs",5993000,"endMs",6243000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3000791-9a104c4091ade686920b1dadbc232b87&start=5993&end=6243","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3000791-9a104c4091ade686920b1dadbc232b87/thumbnail_5993000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6072942/Connecticut/Madison-board-approves-8500-fencing-donation-and-adopts-several-policy-updates-minutes-approved-with-one-abstention","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6072942-666d42b962bf8c0418432de2a80cc1ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1771085036&Signature=lBgsJyOqL-ijqlERZWhDVEes0jzUhuB31A65dBl7eHDx8dmeT-Yk1OD5Blw93987YoVDpkme0hA0CH8X9H1g4AzZNoUNT4Jv6ChmwBALan8X2IXZXTOmagrrj1NBpvXiSDvQSu3m7gquntNJCyStyPuOY9j0RiVNLNFFb95fl1rzTI4spuWryU29ZtHw0P9DQnwijXq-QvuJ2N6~bsShVbg8v8bllMbAIWEKvf37ilvEofOc-FwzpZ41xPUEjTB9As4XHUBGGfk~15PkAaeIZPDZiQ2SRgWNhJiYlyJ9GfQI9Tsl43gQ028BM91Rf9la2XcmGpj-T2b5mmJLcbURWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Madison School District","date","2025-04-02T00:00:00Z","article","The Madison School District Board of Education approved five consent and action items on its agenda, including an $8,500 private donation to Daniel Hand High School’s fencing program and multiple policy updates required by state guidance.

Votes at a glance

- Donation (Action item 10): The board accepted a donation of $8,500 from John LaRiviere to the Daniel Hand High School fencing program to purchase fencing equipment. The motion was seconded by Board member Kathy; the board approved the donation, recorded as an affirmative vote with no recorded opposition (motion carries; 8‑0 reported).

- Disposal of used books and equipment (Action item 11): The board approved the disposal list included in the packet; motion seconded by Diane; approved with no recorded opposition (motion carries; 8‑0 reported).

- Rescind policy 06/2002 (Action item 12): The board voted to rescind the older curriculum policy (policy 06/2002). The motion (moved and seconded by board members Diane and Maureen) passed with no recorded opposition (motion carries; 8‑0 reported).

- Adopt revised policies (Action item 13): The board approved a set of updated policies for second reading and action, including:
• 2,300 (Retention/Destruction of Records; updated per Office of the Public Records Administrator guidance)
• 5131.911 (Bullying prevention and intervention; updated; effective July 1, 2025)
• 5131.914 / Safe School Climate Policy (board noted a clerical renumbering during the vote)
• 6070.1 (Curriculum development; replaces former curriculum policy)
• 6146.3 (Credit for online courses; model policy revised by Shipman & Goodwin)

The motion to adopt these policies was moved by Maureen and seconded by Diane; board members approved the package with no recorded opposition (motion carries; 8‑0 reported). Board members also noted a friendly amendment clarifying a numbering/renaming detail for the Safe School Climate policy during the vote.

- Approval of minutes (Action item 14): The board approved the minutes of the March 18 Board of Education meeting. The motion was seconded by Kathy; the minutes passed with one recorded abstention and otherwise affirmative votes (motion passes; 1 abstention recorded).

Board comments and context

Board members thanked the fencing donor and noted the high cost of equipment for the sport. “This is a very generous donation,” a board member said during the vote tally and discussion. The board also discussed operational details for disposing of surplus books and equipment and noted that many of the policies were updated to comply with new state guidance or model policies.

What happens next

- The fencing donation will be used by Daniel Hand High School to purchase equipment; the athletic program and boosters will coordinate details.
- The rescinded curriculum policy will be removed from the district policy manual and replaced by the updated curriculum policy (6070.1).
- The district will implement the updated bullying prevention and Safe School Climate policies with an effective date noted at or after July 1, 2025, per the state guidance cited in the packet.

Ending

The board handled the consent and action items in a single series of votes and closed the business items without further public comment. No contested roll‑call vote totals beyond those noted in meeting proceedings were supplied in the packet.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Madison School District Board of Education 2025-04-02","oneSentenceSummary","The Madison School District Board of Education accepted a $8,500 donation for Daniel Hand High School’s fencing program, approved disposal of listed books and equipment, rescinded an old curriculum policy and adopted several revised policies. The board approved the March 18 meeting minutes with one abstention.","taxTitle","Madison School District, School Districts, Connecticut","taxId",56431,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6072946,"Parents, students and experts press Madison School District for stricter cellphone rules and tighter Chromebook controls",1866,350000,2216000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3000791-9a104c4091ade686920b1dadbc232b87&start=350&end=2216","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3000791-9a104c4091ade686920b1dadbc232b87/thumbnail_350000.jpg","/articles/6072946/Connecticut/Parents-students-and-experts-press-Madison-School-District-for-stricter-cellphone-rules-and-tighter-Chromebook-controls","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6072946-e535d238e82fdcbf9c1476590c2bd6c8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771085036&Signature=CPDX~NwxIja7MfN6RNBfT0MSLCkcJkNY2bA26nrqrtbRhd5CEQkVPp0pnPsuidAoRvfz1A-VTZwKwQlGj8ekQreAtkL47Qb9fqAVy2kD~sV7c5zyfJYi4TOc-F8oRen-EXJCihno5bwBQwY~uzplAr6F9bekblQ-~lkLgufTm2ikKxabtpEPLXjyK-gWVB8VO8~n~oIlzpw6BeK082GNsXuNL2T2YdwuAxL20atPvFUA3nE7dy17G2qO6kOgFY1LQcv8GUTpR~98JyN0x57545piO0gq4NpxIrJX6nsHs60Eo19~S9wwK~gXUOFAAson9Yz9jxrjd866AZgUWf826Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Public commenters and a Daniel Hand High School student urged the Madison School District Board of Education to adopt stricter cellphone rules and strengthen security on school‑issued Chromebooks during the meeting, citing safety, distraction and student mental‑health concerns. The board discussed a possible trial day but did not take formal action.

Supporters of stronger rules said phones and unsecured school devices create safety and behavioral problems. “Using phones during an emergency distracts students from following critical safety instructions given by school staff,” resident Jim McDonald said during public comment. “If a phone lights up or dings while a student is in hiding, it could alert an intruder to their location.”

The issue drew multiple speakers and a classroom perspective. Beth Azeveda, a parent of students in Madison, told the board that phones have been used to make threats, to cyberbully and to escalate on‑campus incidents. She urged a districtwide phone‑free policy and said some schools already pair phone rules with locked‑down device controls. “Cell phone use in schools by students can negatively impact school safety in a number of ways,” Azeveda said.

Other parents and community members described technical fixes and policy gaps. Julia Phillips, who said she helped parents with the Securly parent app rollout, called Securly “a good tool” but said the district’s rollout lacked guidance and that students still find ways around single protections. She and others cited the Country School’s use of two protections — GoGuardian and Bark — as an effective example: “having 2 security programs on school issued Chromebooks is the only way to go,” Phillips said.

Shelley Grosso read material from the Social Media Victims Law Center, arguing social platforms were engineered to increase youth engagement and that the resulting harms justify limits: “Big tech knows children are in developmental stage that leaves them particularly vulnerable to the addictive effects of these features, but they target them anyway in pursuit of additional profit,” Grosso said.

A Daniel Hand student, David Jacoby, gave a prepared speech proposing a weekly test: “No WiFi Wednesday.” Jacoby described the near‑constant presence of screens in his day and asked the board to trial one day a week when phones and in‑class screens would be collected and classes run without Chromebooks, slideshows or Promethean boards. “No WiFi Wednesday. Every Wednesday, let's collect the cell phones of all students and faculty,” Jacoby said. He suggested the district pair the day with structured reflection and survey students and staff afterward to measure effects.

Superintendent Dr. Cook acknowledged the board has been asked before to consider cellphone and technology rules and said staff will examine the idea. Cook said administrators and teachers need time to plan lessons that rely less on technology and that a staged trial tied to an existing half‑day or wellness event would be easier for teachers to implement. “We have a lot of questions to work through with staff,” Dr. Cook said, adding the proposal had already been placed on a council agenda for further discussion.

District communications staff also addressed how students reach blocked sites. Kent, the district communications lead, said social platforms are blocked by the district firewall but acknowledged students can reach them using anonymizing sites. “We block those what we know about, but they keep coming up in different ways,” Kent said, describing an ongoing technical challenge.

What happened after the conversation

Board members praised the student’s presentation and told Jacoby they would consider trials or pilot days. Several members suggested pairing any trial with reflection or measurement so the district can assess effects on student engagement and wellbeing. No formal motion or vote to change district policy was taken at the meeting; instead, the board directed staff to discuss options with administrators and report back. Jacoby offered to share his speech and related materials by email.

Why it matters

The discussion brought parents, a clinical psychologist speaking for a parent, a student, and district staff into the same conversation about safety, equity and curriculum. Parents sought both policy changes (phone limits for all students, bans on social platforms for team communications) and technical improvements (additional filtering and multiple monitoring tools on Chromebooks). Staff identified operational and instructional constraints that make a sudden, districtwide removal of screens complicated, and the board opted for further study rather than immediate policy change.

Ending

The board asked staff to explore a limited trial and to return with implementation details. Parents requested district data on what sites students access and how long they spend online; the board said it would seek that information from the technology department. No vote was held on a districtwide cellphone ban at the meeting.","Public commenters, parents and a Daniel Hand High School student urged the Madison School District Board of Education to adopt stricter cellphone rules, lock down school-issued devices and pilot a weekly screen‑free day. The board asked staff to study options but took no formal vote on a districtwide ban.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Madison board approves $8,500 fencing donation and adopts several policy updates; minutes approved with one abstention

Parents, students and experts press Madison School District for stricter cellphone rules and tighter Chromebook controls