Wakefield students present senior "ASC leave" privilege; committee tables policy for Feb. 11 vote

Two Wakefield Memorial High School juniors presented a proposal Tuesday asking the Wakefield School Committee to allow seniors with certain first- or last-block Academic Support Center (ASC) periods to leave campus as a limited “senior privilege.” The committee agreed to place the draft policy on the table for public comment and to consider final approval at its Feb. 11 meeting.

Anthony and Michael, juniors who researched open-campus policies at other Middlesex League schools, said they surveyed 11th- and 12th-grade students and contacted about 40 administrators across Massachusetts to gather examples and estimates. “There are a handful of schools in the Middlesex League that do this,” Anthony said, listing Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, Reading, Watertown, Winchester and Woburn. The students said 49 respondents favored open campus while three opposed it.

Principal McLeod said administrators drafted a detailed policy after meeting with the students; it would make the privilege optional, earned and conditional. “A student's grades currently must reflect a 75 or higher in all of their classes,” McLeod said, and students must be in “good behavioral standing” with no outstanding disciplinary sanctions. The policy also specifies procedures for parent permission and day-to-day sign-out logistics.

Superintendent Amy Lyons and committee members discussed scheduling, equity and operational details. Assistant administrator David Robinson clarified scheduling rotation at WMHS, noting that blocks rotate and that the pool of potentially eligible seniors in any given block would be roughly one‑seventh of the senior class. Lyons and committee members asked administrators to provide an estimate of how many seniors would immediately qualify.

Committee members raised equity questions about students who rely on buses or who live far from school, and about students who have ASC during d‑block (midday). McLeod said administrators discussed those concerns and noted that parental permission and student arrangements could mitigate some inequities. “Both Anthony and Michael are not seniors, so they're not going to benefit from this policy right away,” McLeod added; she praised the students for focusing on a policy that would be earned by seniors.

The committee voted by voice to place the WMHS Senior ASC leave privilege draft “on the table” for consideration until the Feb. 11, 2025 meeting. Committee members also asked that administrators begin the practical rollout steps — a class meeting for seniors, permission slips and a tentative start timeline — so a pilot could begin early in the next marking period if paperwork is returned. Committee members asked for a progress update in the spring and for data on how many seniors would be eligible by the next meeting.

No formal permanent policy was adopted Tuesday; the committee treated the draft as a handbook item that would be open for comment and formally considered at its next meeting.

The committee also discussed whether the privilege should be limited to one ASC period if a student had multiple free periods; administrators said the draft intends to limit students to a single ASC‑based leave to encourage fuller scheduling and avoid students being out for multiple periods a day.

The committee and administrators agreed to continue refining logistics (permission slips, advisory and early-release days, and coordination with special-education schedules) and to return with numerical eligibility data by Feb. 11.