Students and ACE committee present three contingency options for Post Middle School; board and students flag logistics and equity concerns

The Arlington School Board heard an extended report from the Advisory Council for Education (ACE) and student representatives on contingency planning for Post Middle School.

ACE chair Cheryl McGuire and vice chair Brett Kleman summarized the committees yearlong work and described three primary options the group examined: A) keep sixth grade in elementary schools and combine seventh and eighth at Hower; B) double-shift students at Hower (morning/afternoon shifts) if Post becomes unusable; and C) identify alternative community locations or modular/temporary buildings.

Student members and ACE researchers reported that Option C was not recommended at this time because no available community sites met required safety, security and special‑education service needs. Students and board members pressed for more details on bus routing (doubling routes would require more drivers), impacts on middle‑school athletics and lunch logistics, and how special‑education services would be delivered. Student presenters called out practical classroom issues — for example, the number of teams and portfolio requirements from a recent stock-market project — as reasons to prioritize thoughtful scheduling and supports.

Board members and staff asked ACE to continue detailed logistics work and flagged the need for clear data on enrollment, transportation capacity, staffing and services before any structural changes.

ACE also presented its annual committee work (community representation, advisory role to the board) and proposed topics for next year including AI policy updates, child nutrition, cell phone policy, and further work on Post contingency logistics.