School committee adopts emergency‑safety rules, multiple policy updates and educational‑support contract

NANTUCKET, Mass. — The Nantucket School Committee on May 20 voted to revise emergency‑safety rules and to approve a package of policy updates recommended by the committee’s policy subcommittee.

The committee approved an expanded rules‑and‑procedures attachment to policy JLDBA that creates a crisis support team (CST), adds a new "imminent danger" category and formalizes a reentry protocol and wellness plan for students returning after a behavioral‑health evaluation. A motion to update JLDBA‑R&P with the addition of the appropriate school nurse to the CST passed on a voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion, a second and the committee response, "Aye."

Policy subcommittee material presented at the meeting noted the district updated the procedures in part because mobile crisis services transitioned from Gosnold to Fairwinds and the district sought less‑traumatic on‑island options to reduce hospitalizations.

A committee speaker argued that school nurses should be included in the CST because they know students well and can be an accessible adult in crises; district staff said nurses are included when needed and agreed to add language so nurses may be listed among the recipients of reports of harmful behavior or suicidal ideation. "If it's, a question of semantics, then we can add that to this," a policy presenter said during the discussion.

The committee also voted to adopt Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) language and related rule changes for several policies: EEAG (student transportation and private vehicles), EFC (free and reduced‑price meals policy aligned with Massachusetts changes), IJOA (field trips and student travel) and IJND (access to digital resources). The committee voted to remove two outdated policies from the district policy book: ILBA (district program assessments) and IMA (teaching activities and presentations).

The update to EEAG adds a requirement that adult drivers of non‑district vehicles be subject to a satisfactory CORI and/or background check "in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws and school committee policy," language cited in the packet presented to members.

The committee approved the district’s educational support staff collective bargaining agreement for 2025–2028 during the same meeting; the record shows a motion, a second and an "Aye" vote. Committee members thanked negotiators for what a presenter described as a "very successful" process.

The committee approved several small donations and transfers from community groups and parents, including a $695.27 gift from Friends of Nantucket Public Schools to Nantucket Elementary School, a $485 donation for a teacher‑appreciation lunch and a $2,000 donation for a summer reading program at Cyrus Pierce School.

All policy votes were recorded as motions with seconds and carried on voice votes. The policy presenter said draft documents and quick‑reference guides for crisis response had been shared with building principals and Fairwinds staff prior to the subcommittee review.

Decisions taken at the meeting are effective as of the vote and will be reflected in the district’s policy book and the rules and procedures attachments.