Easton Middle School outlines multi-year plan to reduce bullying and launch whole‑child reviews

Easton Middle School presented its 2025–26 school improvement plan to the Easton School Committee on June 12, with goals targeting student behavior (including bullying and cyberbullying), improvements in English language arts for the district’s lowest‑performing subgroup, and a new whole‑child review process for all sixth‑grade students by June 2026.

Principal Luke Carroll outlined a set of continuing two‑year goals and one new initiative. On behavior, Carroll said the school seeks to reduce bullying and cyberbullying rates identified in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and to expand character‑development materials across focus periods. Carroll described action steps already in place, including MTSS tier‑1 interventions, a video‑library curriculum for character development, trained student leaders, and a parent presentation on disciplinary practices and reporting.

Carroll said academic focus is on the lowest‑performing subgroup measured through MCAS accountability; the school is prioritizing ELA improvements for students who have been in the middle school for two years and noted current figures of about 40% meeting expectations in the relevant cohort. Strategies include regular data reviews, departmental data meetings, targeted interventions, adjusted special‑education services tailored to individual goals, and supplemental programs such as IXL reading.

The plan’s new initiative is a whole‑child review process for all sixth graders. "By June 2026, Easton Middle School will implement a whole child review process for all grade 6 students," Carroll said. The review will use multiple data sources—attendance, discipline, assessments, extracurricular participation, 504 and special‑education plans—and the OpenArchitect platform to build student profiles that inform individualized academic, social, emotional and behavioral supports. Carroll noted OpenArchitect is currently provided to the district at no cost through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and district staff are working with DESE on contract arrangements for future access.

Carroll also emphasized belonging: after Youth Risk Behavior Survey results showed 25% of seventh graders and 30% of eighth graders reporting low belonging, the school launched a "We Belong" mural project, a rewards program, intramural sports and community‑service field trips to improve student connection. The EMS cultural festival and expanded intramural offerings will continue next year.

Committee members praised the whole‑child approach and the emphasis on belonging. After discussion, the committee moved and approved the school improvement plan for Easton Middle School.

Action required The committee approved EMS’s school improvement plan by voice vote. The presentation identified specific follow‑up tasks: continue implementation of MTSS interventions, pilot anti‑bullying enrichment programs (contingent on funding from parent groups and donations), and roll out the OpenArchitect‑based review cycle beginning with sixth grade in fall 2025.

Background and next steps Carroll said some anti‑bullying assemblies and parent outreach began this year and that the school hopes to expand enrichment and outside presenters when fundraising permits. The sixth‑grade whole‑child reviews will be developed during the summer and early fall with training from the state S3 academy and with district alignment to create a K–12 vertical system over subsequent years.