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Board adopts harassment grievance policy, advances graduation policy and unseals several minutes
Summary
The Portsmouth School Board voted to adopt policy ACA (discrimination and harassment grievance procedure) on a single reading, took first reading on revised graduation‑credit policy IKF, and voted to continue sealing two sets of non‑public minutes while unsealing a larger batch after review.
The Portsmouth School Board on Tuesday moved to restore a district harassment and discrimination grievance procedure and to progress a package of graduation‑policy updates as part of routine policy housekeeping.
Patty, speaking in her role assisting the board, said the district needed the policy on the books. "We have to have this policy on our books and right now we don't have this policy on our books," the board recounted during discussion of policy ACA, which the board adopted on a single reading to fill a gap created during a Title IX rule change. Board members said ACA largely reflects existing practice.
The board also took first reading on a consolidated graduation policy (IKF) formalizing a 20‑credit diploma and updating content‑area distributions for incoming ninth graders, including new civics testing and some changes to English and social‑studies credit allocations. Board members noted the policy would require follow‑up work by the high school and curriculum staff to align coursework and testing timing.
On non‑public minutes, the board voted to continue sealing two minutes it found still contain identifying student‑placement content and to unseal a separate list of personnel‑related minutes after review. The motions were carried on roll‑call votes.
Separately, the board also moved to rescind an older, now‑duplicative policy (IKAA) because its provisions were subsumed into the consolidated IK policy adopted earlier in the meeting. That motion was approved by roll call.
Board members said they would return the consolidated IKF policy for a second reading and hold related eliminations of older policies until the second reading to avoid gaps in coverage. No changes to staffing or curricular courses were enacted in the meeting; the votes were procedural and part of an annual policy review cycle.
The board will return later in the budget/policy schedule with additional second‑reading items and any technical edits needed to align course catalogs with the revised credit language.
