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School committee moves updated policies, including new seclusion rules, into consent agenda
Summary
The committee placed several policy updates into the consent agenda, including an access-to-buildings policy, bus-driver training, a school-choice change reflecting a sibling priority, medication administration aligned to 105 CMR 210, and a rewritten timeout, seclusion and restraint policy that members said requires follow-up on operational procedures and health-staff sign-offs.
The Swampscott School Committee voted to move a package of updated policies into its consent agenda on June 11 after a policy subcommittee review and discussion about operational details for several items.
The package includes revisions or new language for access to buildings and grounds, parent-advisory guidance, bus-driver examination and training, school choice (which the presenters said now includes a sibling priority under state law), medication administration aligned to 105 CMR 210 (Massachusetts Department of Public Health regulation), and a substantially rewritten timeout, seclusion and restraint policy the state requires be in place by Aug. 17.
Committee members praised several updates but raised procedural concerns about implementation. Members asked that nursing staff review the medication-administration language and that the district’s special-education attorney and the policy subcommittee review the new seclusion and timeout procedures. “It is a little controversial,” said a committee member about the new seclusion rules and asked the superintendent and staff to seek additional guidance and training; another member said they would send protocols to legal counsel for vetting.
Chair Glenn Pastor moved to place the policies into the consent agenda as a group; Miguel seconded. The group then voted to approve the full consent agenda, which also included a textbook-surplus item and donations, with no recorded opposition.
Committee members noted that the timeout/seclusion rewrite follows new state regulation and that implementation will require locally written protocols, staff training and, in some cases, access to licensed mental-health professionals to meet sign-off requirements. District officials committed to return with protocols and to have nursing and special-education staff review operational steps before final adoption of procedures.
The committee’s action at this meeting was to move the policies into the consent agenda and approve the consent agenda; final policy adoption and any procedural supplements will follow the district’s normal review process.
