Committee debates role of policy advisory group and whether AI policy needs further review

The Whitman-Hanson policy subcommittee presented a packet of policy changes moved to first read and described work by a volunteer policy advisory group that has been compiling drafts and suggestions.

Miss Blackman, who led the report, told the full committee the advisory group — made up of parents, faculty and mental-health professionals — had asked the subcommittee to look again at the district's recently adopted AI policy and to help draft an online-learning policy and BEDH (public involvement) guidance. She said the advisory group's members have invested significant volunteer time reviewing other districts’ policies and bringing suggested language back for consideration.

Several elected committee members questioned whether the advisory group could properly 'request' policy reviews or whether its role is to 'recommend' items for the subcommittee and full committee to consider. A committee member summarized the practical fix as a change in wording from 'request' to 'recommend' so the advisory group's voice is preserved without implying governing authority.

Miss Blackman said the subcommittee has not acted on any advisory request without the subcommittee's own review and stressed the value of community input: "Their voice is relevant because they are people who are in our community, who are faculty, who are staff, who are parents," she said.

Committee members agreed the full school committee retains final authority to direct policy subcommittees and that any procedural document clarifying the advisory group's role should be drafted and brought back to the board for approval. Miss Blackman said the subcommittee will work to produce clearer change-tracking for the packet so members can see exactly what language was added or removed when policies come back for review.