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Votes at a glance: Portsmouth School Committee approves schedule changes, backs state transportation fix; rejects statewide cell‑phone ban
Summary
At its March 25 meeting the committee approved minutes, consent agenda and several policies, amended next year's meeting calendar, supported a state transportation technical fix, tabled a separate displaced‑student transportation resolution, declined to back a proposed statewide cell‑phone ban, and approved a Freedom to Read Act resolution.
The Portsmouth School Committee took a series of formal actions at its March 25 meeting. Key outcomes:
- Approval of minutes (March 2025 executive and regular sessions) — approved unanimously, 7‑0.
- Consent agenda — approved unanimously, 7‑0.
- School committee meeting schedule for 2025‑26 — committee amended the draft calendar to remove an August 12 meeting and add a workshop; the amended schedule was approved 7‑0.
- Statewide pupil transportation technical resolution — committee approved a resolution supporting the Study Commission's recommendations that include raising passenger limits on small pupil‑transport vehicles (from 8 to 10) and easing temporary driver certification hurdles; approved unanimously, 7‑0.
- Portsmouth displaced student transportation resolution — committee tabled the locally drafted resolution (motion to table passed 7‑0) so it can be aligned with an expected Statewide Transportation Study Commission proposal concerning funds for homeless and foster student transportation.
- Cell‑phone legislation (H5598) — the committee voted on a motion to send an endorsement for H5598 (a bill that would require each public school to adopt a policy that includes a prohibition on physical access to personal electronic devices during the school day). The motion failed: 2 in favor (Robert Ferber, Charity Guillen), 5 opposed (Michael Fox, Kelly, Dr. Copeland, McDade, Delahanty); committee will not send its support to the legislature.
- Freedom to Read Act (RIS0238 / H5726) — committee approved a resolution supporting state bills that set procedures for library collection development and challenges; passed 6‑1 (Member Delahanty opposed).
- Policies — final reads and approvals: JFKA (student residency) approved unanimously, 7‑0; IHBF (homebound instruction) approved unanimously, 7‑0.
- Other procedural votes — motions to adjourn and the remainder of routine business passed unanimously.
Where recorded votes listed individual member positions, the committee minutes and transcript were explicit; for several consent votes the meeting recorded only unanimous tallies.
