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District updates handbooks, health services and introduces AI guidance
Summary
School leaders presented handbook updates (including changes to Chromebook take-home policy and new AI-use guidance), health-service statistics and an upgraded medical-record rollout; staff training and community outreach on policies were recommended.
Administrators and school staff presented a package of handbook and health-service updates at the School Committee meeting on June 1, including new guidance on artificial-intelligence use in schools, changes to device take-home policies and plans to upgrade the district's electronic medical-record system.
Nursing and health services
School nursing leaders reported high service volume and operational improvements: nurses logged more than 25,000 health-office visits and administered over 13,000 medications during the past year. The district will roll out an upgraded electronic medical-record system in the fall to improve documentation and compliance tracking, the nursing lead said. The department also described expanded CPR/AED and emergency-response training for bus and van drivers, an internship program for aspiring nurses, and steps to improve substitute-nurse coverage and orientation.
Handbook updates and AI guidance
Elementary principals reviewed proposed handbook changes for 202627, such as updated caregiver-communication practices using ParentSquare, revised half-day schedules that will include lunch service, and a decision to keep fifth-grade Chromebooks in school rather than sending devices home. Principals reported a noticeable drop in out-of-school device incidents after the change.
Administrators also introduced districtwide AI guidance for handbooks: use of artificial-intelligence tools is prohibited except when a teacher grants permission and only in accordance with district policy; the use of AI to harass, intimidate or bully another student will be treated as a violation of the district's bullying policy.
Wellness and policy review
A wellness-policy review team described a three-year review process using the Massachusetts rubric; the team found policy language largely in line with state guidance, recommended targeted outreach to caregivers and classroom parents to improve consistent implementation (for example, allergy-aware classroom practices), and flagged several substantive edits that will return for further committee consideration.
Representative quote
"By caring for hundreds of students and staff daily, the nursing department actively builds a safer, healthier district network," the nursing lead said, summarizing the team's role in safety and compliance.
Ending: The committee asked administrators to return with targeted timelines and implementation materials, including draft corrective-action steps for Title IX recommendations and policy edits for the committee's next meeting.
