Board approves updated student wellness policy and 2026–27 academic calendar; civility policy deferred

The Weston Board of Education approved an updated district student wellness policy and the proposed 2026–27 school calendar, while tabling further action on a revised civility policy and accepting a first reading of a proposed code of ethics.

Civility policy: Julie, who presented the policy-subcommittee work, said the committee proposed a condensed civility policy that separates broad policy statements from administrative regulations. Some board members, including David, asked that the draft circulate longer in the community and declined to waive the required second reading; as a result, the board took no action on the civility policy at this meeting and it will return for further review.

Code of ethics: Julie said the board does not currently have a code-of-ethics policy and presented a new draft modeled on the CABE model policy with minimal Weston-specific edits. The board received the draft for a first read and did not vote; the document will follow the typical two-reading process.

Student wellness policy (Policy 5141.25): Tina (district staff leading the wellness update) presented the revised district wellness policy, noting a district wellness committee met eight times since May 2024 and brought curriculum, food service, nursing and facilities staff, teachers and students into the process. The policy aligns with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework and reflects changes since the district no longer participates in the National School Lunch Program. The policy also outlines oversight, annual accountability via the wellness committee and community communications.

Board members discussed implementation concerns raised by parents and staff, including: not using recess removal as a behavioral consequence (cited as required by state law), limiting access to ultra-processed snacks, and student time to eat (noting a 20-minute minimum is referenced in the policy but some parents and students reported feeling rushed due to long lines). Several board members urged that the district use the wellness committee and directors (food service, principals) to address those operational details in implementation rather than in policy text.

Peter moved to waive the second reading and approve Policy 5141.25 (student wellness) at first review with implementation caveats; the motion passed on a voice vote. The board recorded the motion as carried; the vote was not taken by roll call in the transcript.

Academic calendar 2026–27: District staff presented a proposed 2026–27 academic calendar developed with input from unions and stakeholders. David moved to approve the calendar as presented; Lisa seconded and the board approved it by voice vote. Board members asked about professional development scheduling, graduation date timing, and how calendar decisions interact with absenteeism patterns.

Why this matters: The wellness policy establishes districtwide expectations on nutrition, physical activity, social-emotional learning and communication that affect daily student routines. The calendar establishes the school year structure used for scheduling instruction, professional learning days and family planning.

Quotes (verbatim from meeting): “We typically do, 2 2 2 reviews of a policy. But I'm gonna let Erica speak to this. We decided to see if we can move some of our policies along a little bit more quickly.” — Julie (policy committee) “The removal of recess will not be used as a consequence for classroom behavior for any student per state law.” — Board member Michael (paraphrase of comment recorded in discussion)

Ending: The civility policy will be returned for further community review; the code of ethics will proceed through the standard two-reading process. Implementation tasks for the wellness policy (foodservice choices, recess scheduling and lunch period timing) were assigned to the wellness committee and relevant operational staff for follow-up and reporting.