[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6476863,"mediaKeyId","5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd","parentId",5716558,"title","Stoughton committee denies appeal to waive bus fee for Young Way-area families; superintendent to seek safety and waiver info","audioSeconds",465,"startMs",82000,"endMs",547000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd&start=82&end=547","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd/thumbnail_82000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6476863/Stoughton-Public-Schools/School-Boards/Massachusetts/Stoughton-committee-denies-appeal-to-waive-bus-fee-for-Young-Way-area-families-superintendent-to-seek-safety-and-waiver-info","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476863-7406ced67b532d247372d8680621c7d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775456369&Signature=JXvBsUrPnP6hXId1e4rOjFlFX92w7KCepEAJt1-LdAQmqd7N2bYV8MzFFdY1f5B6DiZMCjEp-f3aGxVM4qmf0JYCPw6AcvGAP8OUVe~qUHg4CQVVsteXuvxM8qxMQbObcKUXGvGA~xG-BX8MdIR4u5mb3db3eEhmIf5qXRIJVH9QEqQxXQPhme2qs31kKIh9~NBAcwNBc7I6G8B1GaAM9zrcPw6heerW9XREO8I~eW2Vfkv-MHJfNpZoB7OrBJR6UnoJFmbLi3cAmT5XeTdxVh87t~RoNrLId2UotzXHTPBfWNh-Nbk0h~tXEJpryhVoo9cu9AXcaZFwEQPuPgmK-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Stoughton Public Schools, MA","date","2025-09-04T16:05:01Z","article","At a Sept. 3 special meeting, the Stoughton School Committee voted 4-0-1 to deny a request to waive a locally set pay-and-ride bus fee for families in the Young Way/Smith/Swallow Lane area, with one member abstaining.

Superintendent Dr. Joe Baeta said he could not unilaterally grant an exception under current district policy and that the committee alone has the authority to change the fee policy. He said central office found no written record that previous administrators formally waived the fee for the families at issue.

The families, represented in a written submission by Anna Smith, asked the district to exempt them from the fee, saying pick-up conditions around Young Way made walking unsafe and that previous exceptions had been made informally. \"We neither size has any paperwork,\" Baeta said in describing the central office review. He added that, \"these folks have the right to appeal to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education under the transportation policy.\"

Baeta told the committee he had, as a temporary measure to avoid service interruptions on the first day of school, reserved seats for the affected students pending the committee's decision; those families had not yet paid the fee. He recommended the committee either maintain the existing pay-and-ride policy, accept a one-time exception (which he warned could prompt similar requests), or create a formal appeal process at the committee level or an internal superintendent-level process for future cases.

Committee members pressed on two connected issues: safety of the pick-up location and the district's local fee policy. Members noted that Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidance governs where districts must provide transportation for safety reasons, but that fee and pay-and-ride decisions are local. Several members said the usual practice when parents report an \"unsafe pickup\" is to refer the location to police or town traffic engineers for a safety review; Baeta said he would contact the town engineer and the police for recommendations and would provide the committee with any correspondence between him and legal counsel Joe Emerson that had been placed in the packet.

During discussion, School Committee member Karen moved to postpone the matter six days so families could appear at the regularly scheduled Sept. 9 meeting; that motion was seconded but ultimately not the controlling motion on the floor. A subsequent motion to deny the appeal was moved and seconded and then approved by roll call, 4-0-1. The record shows one abstention and four affirmative votes; committee members recorded on the roll call included Jillian (aye), Jennifer (aye), Armando (aye) and one member listed in the meeting as voting aye; Karen recorded an abstention. The committee directed Baeta to seek further information from the town engineer and police and to contact the families to invite them either to apply for a fee waiver or to appear at the Sept. 9 meeting.

The committee and central office reiterated that state law creates a separate process and that families maintain the right to file a transportation complaint with DESE if they disagree with the district's outcome.

The committee's decision and the superintendent's follow-up steps were included on the official minutes. The committee scheduled the next regular meeting for Sept. 9, when families may appear to present additional information.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Committee Meeting 9-3-2025","oneSentenceSummary","At a Sept. 3 special meeting, the Stoughton School Committee voted 4-0-1 to deny a request to waive a locally set pay-and-ride bus fee for families in the Young Way/Smith/Swallow Lane area, with one member abstaining.","taxTitle","Stoughton Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts","taxId",60990,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6476853,"Stoughton committee removes 'viable' from bullying policy after DESE recommendation; process dispute recorded",234,2832000,3066000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd&start=2832&end=3066","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd/thumbnail_2832000.jpg","/articles/6476853/Stoughton-Public-Schools/School-Boards/Massachusetts/Stoughton-committee-removes-viable-from-bullying-policy-after-DESE-recommendation-process-dispute-recorded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476853-22eda8c86b13183bb07e48b81133945c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775456369&Signature=F~4UpTMx7bTGCup9V9covqoqy2ZHC6Jmyp07pqsieZNBpbsntp73-Z8ZW-dX4bUHoKfKZTZ5A-wrJmILhilkHE4rlHhE-JK3TMmXIUZQj0wsV9FiLXjiDGR8gB9IUqFEh9tLSaMrNDvAQs0Gl8dcpuKYPOnuFDIt1qTEXJYyWqoDQaXkwAO7v2Tm6JrzKcsfvQ13magrzSa-SbOg~5IRNJsc~-Lgrv9cJhIsWrewtTbtskKreS2X63yGCTK13qikXWdorFijx~F0Xy4RC6WEeXao1o1b2qP5rPRvXgRocyevoLGp7TqJet2iDmlGYWpW7Ht3vje-lwtlPxOy0VYhug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Stoughton School Committee voted 4-0-1 on Sept. 3 to amend its bullying policy by removing the word \"viable\" from the investigation-procedures section, following a recommendation from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Matt, the district civil-rights coordinator who presented the change, told the committee the suggested edit came from DESE's problem-resolution office (PRS) during a routine civil-rights and policy review. Matt said the district's bullying prevention and intervention plan otherwise aligns with the DESE model, and that removing the single word would avoid language that could be interpreted as allowing complaints to be dismissed before investigation. \"The suggestion that that word viable might make that you would maybe disregard a bullying complaint before investigating it fully,\" Matt said, paraphrasing DESE's concern.

Superintendent Dr. Joe Baeta said the bullying statute and related DESE guidance drive the district's obligations and that the requested edit aligns the district policy with state expectations. The committee's policy working group and staff had reviewed the change; Jonathan Ford (policy lead) and staff participated in prior discussions, according to presenters.

One committee member, Karen, challenged the procedure used to advance the change at a meeting that did not allow general public comment. She said the district's BGB policy on policy adoption sets out a three-step process (information, discussion, action) and argued the committee should have delayed the vote to allow public input. \"I am contesting it because I think that if we have policies in place, we can wait until Sept. 9,\" Karen said.

Other committee members and staff said the edit was routine, was requested by DESE as part of a corrective-action review, and did not change the policy's substantive effect. The motion to remove the word was moved and seconded; a roll call vote recorded four ayes and one abstention. The meeting minutes will note the contested vote and the procedural objection.

The committee's change is narrowly worded and limited to the single term; staff said it will not alter investigation procedures, which remain governed by statute and DESE regulations. The committee noted the district can still solicit wider public feedback on the broader bullying policy at subsequent meetings if members wish to pursue additional revisions.

The revision will be reflected in the district policy and the minutes will include the recorded objection and supporting rationale.","The Stoughton School Committee voted 4-0-1 on Sept. 3 to remove the word \"viable\" from its bullying policy at DESE's recommendation; one member abstained, citing concern that the committee bypassed the three-step policy-adoption process and denied public comment on an urgent amendment.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6476858,"Stoughton registers 199 new students; superintendent warns of staffing and budget implications",95,2398000,2493000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd&start=2398&end=2493","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5716558-77d377cfecad96a4e084ed4dc6e382bd/thumbnail_2398000.jpg","/articles/6476858/Stoughton-Public-Schools/School-Boards/Massachusetts/Stoughton-registers-199-new-students-superintendent-warns-of-staffing-and-budget-implications","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476858-f8f23b593f33b51467712da12046f519/orig.mp4?Expires=1775456369&Signature=ZGitzflbyqxkfkXodNj~dkFttOXWXxPQ-HNrTkWuop59XXWU8clQI4YGAXsDDlFtmCOGVdem3sk7yXxYRx1sps8rDNE1Db6POHbl-ozZzeD8pxKd71uSVAe9QR8mJcITum5gpjlqPKfjl~zZC7N6818F3e3ZeCwYyPpCV9fZViUmPYT3U0UgM175kylFNxJKCI24D6he703YjWX1giiDrZfRdz7sKueGEstKJsrCBFNGcGhCDBHu8Hfdfpi-vGLX5ZdQswvrZDCN2gsKC0oBNbvDfkazijmF6krIlLB4Aiv8ViGvTM6d8t3NkQrw3kWM0N5YzHscx3lMwo2t5xBCgA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Dr. Joe Baeta told the Stoughton School Committee on Sept. 3 that the district registered 199 new students in the previous week, including 124 students in grades 6 through 12, and that the growth has immediate staffing and budget implications.

\"We registered 199 students as of last week, new students. 199 students as of last week,\" Baeta said, urging the committee to expect a fiscal impact. To maintain historically low kindergarten class sizes (the district prefers classes under 20, with a target nearer 18), the district added three kindergarten classrooms this summer at South, Hansen and Wilkins elementary schools.

Baeta said the September/October reporting cycle will provide more definitive numbers: an initial personnel update will be presented in late September and a financial enrollment report at the first October meeting, after the official Oct. 1 enrollment count. He said the district had added \"over 40 new people\" across faculty and support staff this year, a figure that reflects hires replacing retirees and departures as well as some newly created special-education positions.

Committee members asked whether the new staff count represented net new positions; Baeta clarified that most additions were replacements for retirees, resignations or leaves, with some net increases tied to special-education team-chair positions that the committee had previously authorized.

Baeta said the registrar reported continuous daily registrations and that the district historically sees churn: some students register and later move out, so final enrollment figures are not available until the Oct. 1 count. The superintendent said the district will provide a fiscal overview at the committee's second meeting in September and a comprehensive quarterly report in October that will show actual spending against the voted budget.

The update was presented as informational; no committee action was requested at the Sept. 3 special meeting.","Superintendent Dr. Joe Baeta reported 199 new student registrations in the district as of the prior week, prompting the district to add three kindergarten classrooms this summer and to hire more than 40 staff. Officials said a fiscal update will follow once October 1 enrollment is finalized.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Stoughton committee denies appeal to waive bus fee for Young Way-area families; superintendent to seek safety and waiver info

Stoughton committee removes 'viable' from bullying policy after DESE recommendation; process dispute recorded

Stoughton registers 199 new students; superintendent warns of staffing and budget implications