Board approves package of policy revisions tied to state law changes; members debate notification methods

The East Kingston School District board voted to approve a set of policy revisions the board said align district rules with recent state legislative and regulatory changes.

The packet included revisions to policies on health education notification and parental objection procedures (identified in the packet as IHAM and IGE) citing changes from House Bill 1312 that require parent and guardian notification regarding certain curricula. District material circulated to the board clarifies that parental notification is not required for curricula where sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender expression are the focus of a unit when the content is not the primary focus of instruction.

Other approved policies included updates to emergency closing procedures (EBCD-related updates to reflect distance-education accommodations and language consistent with ED Rule 306.22), a new policy on school year and calendar scheduling incorporating a reference to RSA 288:43 (state-required official holiday naming), and a revised commitment-to-religious-neutrality policy that removes a static list of observed religious holidays and instead establishes a separate multicultural calendar resource to be maintained for educator awareness. The pack also included an updated pledge-of-allegiance policy and a revised harassment grievance procedure (ACAC) returning the district to a Title IX–aligned approach after changes in federal guidance.

Board members discussed how notifications required under the revised health-education and parental-objection policies would be delivered. One board member said standard practice at the district is to notify parents by email or a letter sent home for elementary-level lessons such as puberty education, while high schools more commonly post syllabi and use website or social media channels for notification. The board’s presenter confirmed that the revised language contemplates multiple notice methods and noted the policy is intended primarily for course selection and older students.

On religious observances, the board agreed the district will keep a separate, running multicultural calendar (maintained by SAU administration) for staff awareness rather than listing holidays on the official SAU calendar, citing state guidance about official calendar naming conventions and a desire to avoid annual list maintenance.

The motion on the package of policies passed; the board scheduled the next policy committee meeting and discussed who will serve on the policy committee after an upcoming change in board membership.

No formal amendments to the policy texts were adopted at the meeting; the board approved the packet as presented.