School Committee Adopts Child Protection Policy
The School Committee voted 4-0 to adopt an updated student protection policy, Policy ACL, and repeal its predecessor, Policy JHE.
School Committee · Meeting of October 6, 2026
WHATELY — The School Committee voted 4-0 to adopt an updated student protection policy, Policy ACL, and repeal its predecessor, Policy JHE. Members approved the Deerfield Elementary School Improvement Plan for 2026-2027 and reviewed a playground replacement estimate that rose to $378,000 from a prior $316,000, with plans to fund it through $200,000 in Community Preservation Act money and $200,000 in school choice revenue rather than a town warrant. The committee gave a first reading to a revised Superintendency Agreement restructuring joint-town voting and superintendent evaluations, with a vote set for April.
An MCAS data review found 19 percent of high-needs students met or exceeded expectations in English language arts versus 39 percent of all students, and staff said they believe essays are "scored by AI," after teachers flagged surprising scores on two student writing samples.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
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Source: the School Committee meeting of October 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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