ABINGTON — September 29, 2026 — The Abington School Committee was told September 29 that the district has had no policy addressing the state’s teen dating violence law, and model language to close that gap went to a voice vote. The policy, JICFC, would commit the district to notify parents and authorities of reported incidents, take interim safety steps and train all staff every year.
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The policy came under the superintendent’s report as model language from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. The committee was told the language had been vetted by state-level attorneys, that the law behind it, Chapter 71, Section 2C of the General Laws, has been in place for a number of years, and that the district did not have a policy addressing it.
The committee was also told the policy formalizes work the district already does: investigating potential dating violence, putting interim safety measures in place, reporting to the Department of Children and Families and, when appropriate, reporting to the Abington Police Department under the district’s memorandum of understanding with the department. Written procedures also came from the association as model language, most of which the district has adopted.
The text in the committee’s packet defines teen dating violence as physical, sexual, emotional, verbal or psychological abuse used to exert power and control over a current or former dating partner, in person, online or through technology. It covers incidents on or off school property, along with restraining-order violations on school property, on the way to or from school and at school-sponsored events. Students found to have engaged in dating violence face discipline up to suspension or expulsion, and safety plans may change class schedules, transportation or extracurricular participation and limit contact between students.
Heidi Hernandez asked whether students hear about the dating violence, bullying and sexual harassment policies directly, in extended homerooms or wellness classes, rather than only signing off on the handbook. The committee was told the most effective way to do that would be explored if it is not already done. Another member pointed to February, noting it is specifically a month for teen dating violence, as a teachable moment in health and wellness classes.
The committee also took a voice vote on Abington Middle School’s eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C., on June 10-12, 2027. Melanie Whitney’s motion first gave the year as 2026; Pamela Neely caught the error and moved the motion as amended with 2027, the year on the posted agenda. The trip is approximately $969 per student with one chaperone for every 10 students, on an itinerary and cost very similar to last year’s with the same tour company, the committee was told. Chaperones travel free, and a nurse is the district’s one cost. The grade has 169 students.
Whitney noted that participation last year was not as high and asked that families be told clearly what the trip involves and that students who stay behind are expected in school. The committee was told that expectation stands, that private donors have offered money for students who cannot afford enrichment activities, and that fundraising over the coming months will bring the cost down.
The middle school will again take part in the Plymouth County Comfort Dog study run by a Bridgewater State University researcher. Preliminary results showed two of three classrooms saw positive results on days the comfort dog and officer team spent the first minutes of class in the room, specifically in how long students took to settle into work. Families may opt out; the committee was told two or three students did so before.
