Randolph School Committee approves restraint and disability nondiscrimination policies, updates calendar; removes several outdated forms

The Randolph School Committee moved several policy items and a calendar amendment during the meeting. After a policy-subcommittee review, the committee voted to waive the three-reading requirement and approved a revised policy on physical restraint of students (JKAA) and an ACE nondiscrimination policy on the basis of disability. Committee members noted MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees) language exists for restraint policy and the district would compare drafts before any broader rollout.

The committee also voted to remove several forms that had been embedded in policy, including the affidavit of residency and related affidavits, transferring them to administrative procedures and registration forms. Members said the change is procedural: moving forms out of policy avoids having to revise formal policy every time a form changes.

Calendar: The committee approved adding an early-release day on March 6 to the 2025-26 calendar, citing the need to replace a day lost to weather and to keep parent-teacher conference scheduling consistent with existing practices.

Why it matters: The restraint policy governs staff responses to student crisis situations and is closely watched by parents and advocates; nondiscrimination language clarifies the district's obligations to students with disabilities. Removing forms from policy is an administrative housekeeping step intended to simplify future updates.

Votes and next steps: Both the JKAA and ACE policies passed on recorded roll calls. Policy subcommittee members will circulate the final language and additional MASC-drafted restraint text for review. The district said it will continue to work with legal counsel to finalize affidavits that address residency issues and to bring final language back to the committee for formal adoption as needed.