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Concord committee begins rewrite of student pregnancy and lactation policy
Summary
The Concord School District Communications & Policy Committee reviewed a proposed repeal-and-replace of Board Policy 5.28, debating including language from the district's older policy to emphasize educational support for pregnant and postpartum students and clarifying mandatory reporting steps for minors.
The Communications & Policy Committee of the Concord School District spent much of its March 10 meeting reviewing a proposed repeal-and-replace of Board Policy 5.28, a student-focused policy on pregnancy and related medical conditions.
The committee discussed text from a new draft recommended by the New Hampshire School Board Association alongside portions of the district's existing policy. Karen Fisher Anderson, a district staff member involved in drafting the revision, told the committee the rewrite would be “pretty much a repeal and replace” of the existing policy and noted recent association revisions released on Feb. 9. Chair Kara Meeker said the committee would work to make the language consistent across related policies.
Committee members pressed for clearer language that both reflects legal obligations and preserves educational support. Barbara Higgins and others pushed to retain parts of the prior policy that emphasize helping pregnant students continue their studies and minimize academic disruption; Higgins said she wanted language that helped students “successfully graduate,” while another member urged the committee to avoid excessive legalese in places where a softer, supportive tone is appropriate.
The committee also reviewed the policy's notice and reporting provisions. Members clarified that if staff reasonably believe a pregnant student is under age 16, the district must report to the New Hampshire Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). Karen Fisher Anderson described typical practice: a counselor often makes the DCYF report, the school then keeps a copy of the report at the school and files it with the SAU, and the building principal or designee normally handles parental notification after consideration of all pertinent information.
The group debated whether to carry forward language from the older policy that tells students staff cannot promise confidentiality in all circumstances and that mandatory-reporting obligations may require notification. Superintendent Kathleen Murphy supported retaining the clearer notice and communication steps, saying that "there's been issues statewide around some of these topics that have not fared well because there wasn't good communication and so by laying that out in that way I think it's important." The committee asked staff to merge the most supportive, education-focused lines from the prior policy into the new draft without creating operational burdens for teachers.
On process, the committee directed staff to return a consolidated, clean draft for review (the chair asked for a revised copy by March 31). Members agreed to keep the policy streamlined but to preserve specific operational guidance about who staff should notify and when, and to avoid instructing teachers to provide medical guidance beyond appropriate referrals to nurses or counselors.
The committee did not take a formal vote; instead it requested a revised clean copy that incorporates agreed edits for the next committee meeting and for eventual presentation to the full board.
