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Parent asks Chicopee committee to allow elementary student watch with SOS button
Summary
During public input a parent asked the committee to review the district’s electronic‑device policy to allow an elementary student to wear a Verizon 'Gizmo' watch set to school mode because it includes an SOS button for parent notification; she offered to sign an agreement taking responsibility for disabling school mode.
Jennifer Goonan, a Chicopee parent, used the three‑minute public‑input slot to ask the school committee to review its device policy and permit her elementary‑age child to wear a Verizon 'Gizmo' watch in school mode.
Goonan said she bought the watch because it has a school mode that limits functions while preserving an SOS button that calls parents. "That SOS button, I am 30 minutes away already at work. And that would give me time to get to the school to know that my child is safe," she said. She said a middle‑school child in her household carries a separate SOS device because of anxiety and that she was willing to sign any parental agreement ensuring she would not disable school mode.
School officials and the chair reminded the speaker that public input is not a question‑and‑answer session and that staff will be asked to review the policy and respond through the appropriate administrative channels.
