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School committee weighs bullying prevention plan and parent calls for clearer policy language and supports
Summary
Speakers urged the committee to delay or reopen the district bullying policy to add procedural clarity on supports for neurodivergent students and counseling/referral steps; administrators said the two‑year Bullying Intervention Plan must be approved now to meet DESE requirements and the district is open to policy amendments via subcommittee work.
Several parents and committee members raised concerns about the district's bullying prevention and intervention plan and whether it provides adequate transparency and supports, especially for students with disabilities.
Public commenters including Heather Sanborn and Katherine Holmes said the plan presented to the committee lacked clear information about how many staff hours will be devoted to bullying-related professional development, how counseling or referrals for aggressors and targets will be implemented, and whether required DESE checklists (chapter 86 and survey items) were addressed in practice. Multiple parents asked that the committee defer a final vote until stakeholders, including parents and educators, can review and provide substantive feedback.
Administration (Mr. Tony and Dr. Morris/Dr. Morrison) responded that the district has completed the DESE checklist required for the Bullying Intervention Plan and that the BPIP must be approved bi‑annually and submitted to DESE so the district is not left without a current plan at the start of the school year. Dr. Morris clarified that the BPIP supports the policy and that reopening or amending the formal district policy (GJICFB) is within the committee's purview and can be pursued through subcommittee work.
Committee members said they wanted clearer procedural language and an addendum to address students with IEPs or 504 plans, and discussed timing: administration asked the committee to approve the BPIP now (so the district meets DESE deadlines) while continuing work with families and subcommittees to amend policy language if needed.
Next steps: The committee approved the plan to ensure DESE compliance and retained the option to reopen or amend the formal bullying policy through the subcommittee process after administration and parent working groups finalize proposed additions.
