Cohasset School Committee Considers Calendar Options, Addresses Special Education Concerns
District seeks community input on 2025-2026 school year, introduces new support plan for students
COHASSET - January 8 - The Cohasset School Committee is weighing three calendar options for the 2025-2026 school year, with proposed changes to professional development days and winter break. Superintendent Sarah Shannon presented the options at the Jan. 8 meeting, emphasizing the importance of community feedback before a final decision is made.
"I think sometimes it feels early to be talking about this in January. However, it's always interesting to see how many people start reaching out around this time because people start making their plans for next winter break," Shannon said.
The proposed calendars differ primarily in the scheduling of the winter break and professional development days. One option closes schools from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, while another extends the break through Jan. 2. A third proposal keeps schools closed for students until Jan. 5, with staff returning Jan. 2 for a professional development day.
Shannon also addressed the scheduling of Good Friday, which has been a topic of discussion in recent years. The district faces operational challenges and increased costs due to staff absences on that day.
"Operationally, having school on that day is difficult," Shannon explained. "This year alone, in anticipation of Good Friday, we already have 42 scheduled absences for that day for staff."
The committee plans to solicit community input on the calendar options before making a final decision.
In other business, Director of Student Services Michael Stapleton provided an update on efforts to address the achievement gap for special education students. A task force has been formed to develop strategies and an action plan to improve outcomes.
"We broke this larger group up into smaller groups and engage in dialogue just about that, about ways to move things forward, personal experiences," Stapleton said. "So that conversation ranged from curriculum concerns to executive functioning supports, really kind of a nice overview of why this gap would exist and how to move things forward."
The task force has identified eight categories of support and is working to refine specific recommendations into three to five potential action steps.
Stapleton also introduced a new Student Success Plan for students who do not qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan. The document outlines accommodations and support strategies for these students.
"It's a nice way to document and memorialize things for families and for students to make sure that, again, all that information can be kind of found in one spot," Stapleton explained.
The plan is developed during team meetings with parents, teachers, and special education staff. It is then uploaded to the district's information system, making it accessible to general education teachers.
The committee also approved the use of Deer Hill School for the May 17, 2025, election. The next school committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 22, where more detailed budget information and facility analysis findings are expected to be presented.
Full meeting available via the Town of Cohasset YouTube page.