North Smithfield committee extends superintendent's contract, approves medication policy and publishes athletic handbook

At its August 2025 meeting, the North Smithfield School Committee voted to extend Superintendent Saint Jean’s contract by one year, approved a revised medication policy and authorized publication of a new district athletic handbook.

Superintendent Saint Jean opened the meeting’s substantive business with a summer report thanking custodians and maintenance staff for building preparations and describing several facility and staffing changes. “I just wanna quickly wrap up the summer and thank the custodians and the maintenance staff for their outstanding work,” Saint Jean said, and described work on the Whittleswell Gymnasium, replacement of older desks at the middle school, and the district’s hiring progress.

The superintendent said the district now has a school psychologist at each school and reported that the Rhode Island Department of Health approved a pilot PFAS remediation project for well No. 2 at the middle‑high school; she said grant funds remain available. Saint Jean also announced that Dave Mellon, a math teacher, received administration certification and was named an assistant principal, and that Dan Gary started last week in a leadership role at the high school.

Why it matters: extending the superintendent’s contract keeps existing leadership in place as the committee pursues facilities work, policy updates and a PFAS remediation pilot that require follow‑up from staff and outside agencies. The medication policy governs how schools manage student medications; the athletic handbook governs sports operations and schedules for students, coaches and the weight room.

Key details from the meeting

- Superintendent’s report: Saint Jean described repainting the central logo in the Whittleswell Gymnasium to match the high school, replacing 1960s/1970s desks at the high school using middleschool desks that fit better in middle school classrooms, and confirmed that “we now have a school psychologist at each school.” She also said the Department of Health approved a PFAS remediation pilot at well No. 2 at the middle‑high school and that grant funds to support the pilot remain available.

- Personnel: Saint Jean welcomed new hires and congratulated Dave Mellon on earning his administrative certification and his appointment as assistant principal. The committee also noted that coaches for the fall athletic season are hired.

- Budgets: Committee members reported no substantive progress on FY‑26 operating or capital budgets at the meeting; purchasing had not opened and no detailed spending decisions were made publicly.

- Policy review (first reading): The committee reviewed a set of revised policies and protocols that reference the Rhode Island Commercial Leave Act, the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Rhode Island Family Military Leave Act. Members treated multiple items as a first reading and discussed whether to split the code of basic management and ethical standards into a portion addressed to school committee members and a separate portion for employees. They also agreed to remove an outdated reference to the Rhode Island Middle School Reform Act of 2004 from the district’s strategic planning policy.

- Wellness and safety committees: Members noted a new state requirement this year for a student safety committee separate from the wellness committee; staff said they will prepare a policy and procedure to reflect that requirement.

- Medication policy (second reading and vote): The committee voted to accept the revised medication policy (VA‑15). Committee members said nurses had raised procedural questions that would be resolved in attached procedures rather than in the policy text.

- Athletic handbook (introduction and publishing): The committee authorized introducing and publishing a revised 28‑page district athletic handbook. The athletic director, Robert, led the rewrite to align the handbook with current scholastic league language and coaching schedules; members asked for a tracked‑changes comparison to the prior handbook, which staff said they will provide.

- Executive session and follow‑up: The committee convened an executive session under Rhode Island law (citing R.I. Gen. Laws § 42‑46‑5(a)(1)), then reconvened and voted to seal the executive session minutes pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 42‑46‑4 and 42‑46‑5. Committee members then moved to accept the superintendent’s recommendation presented in executive session; the motion passed on a public vote but the substantive details of that recommendation were not disclosed in open session.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: approved (voice vote; exact tally not specified). - Extension of Superintendent Saint Jean’s contract by one year: approved (voice vote; exact tally not specified). - VA‑15 revised medication policy: approved (motion, second, voice vote). - Introduction and publication of the new district athletic handbook: approved (motion, second, voice vote); staff to supply a redline comparison of changes. - Motion to convene executive session under R.I. Gen. Laws § 42‑46‑5(a)(1): approved (roll call: Chair Gardamoli — yes; Mrs. Mayo — yes; Mr. Cano — yes; Mr. De La Cruz — yes; Mr. Simpkins — yes). - Motion to seal executive session minutes pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 42‑46‑4 and 42‑46‑5: approved (voice vote). - Motion to accept the superintendent’s recommendation presented in executive session: approved (motion, second, voice vote); substantive details not disclosed in open session.

What’s next: Committee members asked staff to circulate tracked changes for the athletic handbook and to prepare a revised policy packet for the second reading that separates committee‑specific ethics language from employee provisions, removes the outdated middle‑school statute reference, and adds procedures for medication administration and the newly required student safety committee.