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Holyoke policy committee amends employee handbook and non‑discrimination language, defers legal citations to counsel
Summary
The Holyoke Public Schools policy committee approved edits to the employee handbook and updated the district non‑discrimination language to list protected categories explicitly, flagged public‑records citations for attorney review, and directed further edits to align FMLA timing with district policy.
The Holyoke Public Schools policy committee approved amendments to the employee handbook and the district’s non‑discrimination policy at a policy meeting, moving to replace broad wording with a specific list of protected categories and to align FMLA timing with district policy.
The chair moved to amend the handbook’s AC non‑discrimination paragraph to read that Holyoke Public Schools is an equal‑opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of “race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, homelessness, religion, age, active military status or veteran status, or any category protected under state or federal law.” The motion was seconded and approved by the committee.
The change was applied to the paragraph on page 14 and mirrored on page 19 so the handbook and policy packet use consistent language. "Vamos a mantener que HPS es un empleador de oportunidades igualitarias..." the chair said while reading the amended paragraph aloud and proposing the strike‑and‑replace edits.
Committee members raised a separate legal question about the citations in the public‑records section. One member said the current draft cited federal FOIA language and recommended replacing it with the correct Massachusetts public‑records citation and having the district’s attorneys confirm the wording before publication. "La citación correcta es la de lo de Massachusetts, no la federal, así que estoy remarcando eso porque es algo legal," the chair said, and members agreed to seek counsel review.
Members also identified a discrepancy in how the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 12‑month period was described across documents. The handbook text described a rolling 12‑month calendar while district policy treats the 12‑month period as the school fiscal year. The committee approved amending the handbook language (page 35) to define the FMLA 12‑month period consistent with district policy (school fiscal year) and asked staff to mark exact deletions and replacements for final review.
The committee discussed outstanding sections that still contain editorial marks and highlighted the need to produce a clean, finalized version for employees when the legal questions are resolved. A member urged that the district correct legal citations and confirm whether platform‑specific language (for example, referencing Zoom) should instead say “virtual meeting platforms” to avoid platform‑specific emphasis.
The committee approved the amended handbook language and referred remaining edits and legal clarifications back to staff and counsel for completion before public distribution.
The meeting concluded with the committee setting follow‑up steps; the chair said she would email the superintendent to confirm scheduling and next actions. The committee adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
