The Smithfield School Committee voted to approve a revised Smithfield High School student handbook after a multi‑week review by teachers and administrators.

Committee members were presented with revisions developed by a large committee of high‑school teachers and administrators, led in the meeting by Marissa Roderick and Christina Paisano, who reviewed changes to attendance, discipline, academic integrity and eligibility rules. The committee approved the handbook, with the vote recorded as “ayes have it.”

The revised handbook places stronger emphasis on attendance and chronic absenteeism, restores lunch detention and after‑school administrator‑run detentions, and removes Saturday detention. It also clarifies that unexcused tardies may be referred for detention and instructs administrators to use an infraction chart (to be developed) to guide consistent consequences. The committee discussed enforcement challenges and signaled that administrators will retain discretion in individual cases.

The handbook tightens academic‑integrity procedures, adds notification for school counselors when students are suspended, and directs that students removed from class for serious disruption should not immediately be returned without a follow‑up plan. Faculty members and administrators said past practice sometimes allowed disruptive students to return without consequences; the new language aims to reduce repeat disruptions and ensure students have supervised, instructive alternatives when removed from class.

High‑school changes also include revised eligibility rules for valedictorian and salutatorian: the handbook requires five consecutive semesters at Smithfield High School for eligibility and disqualifies students with academic‑integrity violations; the committee directed further review of that specific requirement before it is finalized for the program of studies.

The student‑device policy was updated to reflect a state law taking effect in 2026–27 that, according to the district presentation, will ban student use of cell phones in school buildings; the handbook language aligns district policy now and notes further revision will follow final state guidance. The handbook also formalizes the district’s expectation that district‑issued devices be used for education‑related activities.

Food‑drop policy changes allow parents or guardians to deliver restaurant food to the main office for students; committee members discussed whether third‑party deliveries such as ride‑hail food services should be allowed and concluded only parents/guardians should drop off food. The handbook also formalizes use of an electronic hall‑pass system, while allowing laminated paper passes for substitutes.

Committee members and teacher representatives acknowledged several enforcement and operational questions remain — for example, exactly how many tardies will trigger detention and how in‑school alternatives will be staffed when students are removed from class — and the administration said it will develop implementation protocols and an infraction chart to provide consistent application.

The committee approved the handbook on a motion to accept the student handbooks, with the motion made and seconded and the ayes prevailing. The administration will publish a digital copy incorporating the final wording discussed and will circulate it to staff and families ahead of the school year.

The committee asked the administration to bring back the specific valedictorian/salutatorian language for additional review before final publication and to provide the infraction chart and the counselor‑notification procedure for committee review.