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School committee approves 2025–26 student handbook update and adds Ellen Garrison Building reference for middle school
Summary
After debate over naming and legal references, the committee approved the district 2025–26 student handbook with an update to denote the Ellen Garrison Building at Concord Middle School and a late‑breaking insertion addressing a recent Supreme Court decision on curriculum waivers.
The Concord and Concord‑Carlisle school committees approved the 2025–26 student handbook on Wednesday after a discussion about building naming and legal alignment.
What the committee approved: The handbook was updated to include language recommended by the Massachusetts School superintendents association and the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to reflect a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing parents to request curriculum waivers on religious grounds. That language appears on the handbook page the superintendent identified (page 13 of the handbook document distributed to the committee).
Naming the middle school building: Committee members requested and approved a minor edit to ensure the building name commonly used by the community appears in the handbook. The superintendent agreed to add the Ellen Garrison Building in proximity to the legal name Concord Middle School and to make the Concord Middle School text a hyperlink in the online handbook so the document both acknowledges the building name used locally and continues to reference the official entity the district uses for state reporting.
Why it matters: Committee members said the community needs accurate public documents that both honor local naming (Ellen Garrison) and satisfy the state’s reporting and legal requirements. The committee also prioritized getting an up‑to‑date handbook into circulation before schools open.
Context and limitations: The superintendent said the handbook edits responding to the court decision were recommended quickly by state associations and intended as an interim update; the committee may revisit handbook text and related policy language if state guidance changes.
Ending: The committee approved the handbook with the edits and asked administration to circulate the finalized version to families before the start of school.
