Hingham School Committee Overhauls Graduation Requirements, Approves Dozens of Policy Updates
HINGHAM - November 24 - The Hingham School Committee voted November 24 to implement a new competency determination policy that will replace MCAS testing requirements with coursework standards, while also approving sweeping updates to more than a dozen student-focused policies during a rapid-fire meeting that lasted just under an hour.
The Full Story
The new competency determination policy (IKFE) establishes that students must earn passing final grades of 60 percent or higher in core courses to meet graduation requirements. Students will need to pass the equivalent of English 9 and English 10, a two-year sequence of Algebra 1 and Geometry, Biology 1, and beginning with the class of 2027, U.S. History.
Interim Assistant Superintendent Erica Pollard explained the policy allows flexibility for students with special needs. “We also are putting in the option for students to complete a multi-year sequence in a small group or a CLC, depending on their individual need,” Pollard said. “That would be determined by their IEP team.”
The high school principal retains authority to review transcripts and determine whether courses taken at other schools constitute reasonable equivalents, particularly important for transfer students. For students with disabilities, discussion of competency determination will be integrated into IEP team planning starting as early as possible in a student’s academic career. English language learners will receive individualized determinations on a case-by-case basis.
Students wishing to appeal their graduation status may do so in writing to the assistant superintendent. If disputes arise during IEP meetings about competency determination, Pollard confirmed she would serve as the first point of appeal, with the superintendent available as a backup dispute resolver.
The committee unanimously approved the competency determination policy along with related curriculum policies. Policy IGA (Curriculum Development and Adoption) was combined with the former IGD (Curriculum Adoption), streamlining the district’s approach to curriculum oversight. Policy CHCA (Approval of Handbooks and Directives) was updated to align with the new competency standards, while an outdated exhibit was removed.
In perhaps the meeting’s most efficient segment, School Committee Vice Chair Alyson Anderson moved to approve updates to eleven student-focused policies in a single motion—what Chair Jen Benham called “alphabet soup.” The policies, all receiving their second read, included updates to align with current Massachusetts General Law and remove outdated provisions.
Among the changes: Policy JKA (Corporal Punishment) was removed entirely from the policy manual as obsolete. Updates were made to policies governing educational opportunities for military children and children in foster care, student discipline procedures, hazing prevention, bullying prevention, searches and interrogations, student publications, and student health services. Most changes involved updated legal citations and clarified language rather than substantive policy shifts.
A first read was conducted on Policy JKAA (Physical Restraint of Students), which incorporates language from recently removed policies and updates procedures to align with 2023 changes to Massachusetts General Law. The policy will return for a second read and vote at the committee’s next meeting.
In other business, the committee celebrated the successful conclusion of negotiations with the bus drivers union. Committee member Kerry Ni announced that a tentative agreement covering 2026 through 2029 was reached in just two meetings. “It was really pleasant. It was very efficient,” Ni said, thanking union representatives Sandy Fisher, Suzanne Tachio, and Jerry McCullough, as well as Transportation Director Patrick Cunningham and Executive Director of Business and Support Services Aisha Oppong for their collaboration.
The committee approved three sets of grants totaling $12,311.92 from parent-teacher organizations across the district. The Hingham High School PTO donated $9,031.20 for mini-grants supporting everything from the school’s wellness program to arts materials and world language enrichment. The South School PTO granted $2,926.72 for social-emotional learning materials, field trips, and digital subscriptions. The East School PTO donated $354 to fund the first-grade “Balloons Over Broadway” Thanksgiving tradition.
Hingham High School Principal John Buckey presented the school’s improvement plan, which focuses on three interconnected goals: promoting mental health and well-being, improving student attendance, and refining technology use policies. The plan includes implementation of cell phone caddies in all classrooms, professional development on ethical AI use for teachers, and integration of wellness programming into freshman advisory periods.
Buckey reported encouraging attendance data, with chronic absenteeism dropping from 8.2 percent three years ago to 7.1 percent currently, while overall attendance has improved to 96.8 percent year-to-date. A new tardy policy requiring students arriving after the bell to obtain a purple pass has resulted in more accurate tracking, with daily tardies averaging between 38 and 62 students.
The cell phone caddy policy, introduced as optional last spring and made mandatory this fall, has generated largely positive feedback. “I have heard from staff who were reluctant for a variety of concerns... to how much more engaged students are and how much more focused they are,” Buckey said. “I have not heard any overtly negative or hostile feedback about the cell phone jails, as students will call them.”
Committee members praised the school’s approach to artificial intelligence, noting that comprehensive AI guidelines developed with student input are available to parents online. Superintendent Katie Roberts clarified that AI professional development is coordinated across grades 6 through 12, while screen time reduction efforts span pre-K through 12. Committee member Matt Cosman said he was “encouraged by the sort of robust discussion about AI,” noting its inevitable role in students’ futures.
School council updates revealed similarly robust conversations happening at building levels. Committee member Tim Miller-Dempsey reported that the middle school council discussed forming a task force on screen time and alternatives to one-to-one Chromebook use. At South School, reverse inclusion initiatives allowing general education students to participate in adapted physical education and lunch periods received enthusiastic parent praise during the school council meeting.
Anderson and Ni reported attending the Massachusetts Association of School Committees annual conference, where they noted Hingham’s AI policy has positioned the district as a leader among peers. Conference sessions covered digital well-being, integration of technology policies into Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, legislative updates, and collective bargaining issues including health care cost-sharing.
Ni provided an update on ongoing salary negotiations with the Unity union representing food service workers, with a strategy session scheduled for December 1 and another bargaining session set for December 2. The Hingham Education Foundation is conducting its annual appeal with a spring fundraising event scheduled for April 11, 2026, at Barrow House Z.
Committee member John Mooney reminded the community of upcoming inclusive events, including the fourth annual Hanukkah menorah lighting co-sponsored by the Human Rights Coalition and Hingham Unity Council on December 16 at 5 p.m. at the community center, and a sensory-friendly screening of “The Polar Express” with adjusted light and sound on December 20 at 11 a.m. at Patriot Cinemas.
The committee approved an out-of-state field trip for the Hingham High School boys hockey team to compete in Smithfield, Rhode Island, on December 6. Roberts noted that under policy revisions approved earlier this year, routine out-of-state trips that occurred in previous years no longer require committee votes, though the committee is informed of all such trips.
Why It Matters
The new competency determination policy marks a significant shift in how Hingham students will demonstrate readiness for graduation as the state moves away from MCAS testing requirements. Parents and students now have clear expectations: passing grades in specific core courses rather than standardized test scores will determine graduation eligibility. The policy’s flexibility for special education students and English language learners ensures individualized pathways while maintaining academic standards. The wholesale policy updates bring the district into compliance with current state law and eliminate obsolete provisions, providing clearer guidance for students, families, and staff on everything from discipline procedures to use of technology.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Approve minutes of October 27, 2025 School Committee meeting. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:01:21)
Motion: Approve minutes of November 10, 2025 School Committee meeting. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:01:34)
Motion: Approve minutes of November 19, 2025 Salary Negotiation Subcommittee meeting (bus drivers). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous (Ni and Anderson voting only). (Timestamp: 0:02:57)
Motion: Approve policy IKFE (Competency Determination). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:11:22)
Motion: Approve changes to CHCA (Approval of Handbooks and Directives) and removal of CHCA-E exhibit. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:13:17)
Motion: Approve IGA (Curriculum Development and Adoption), combine with IGD, and remove old IGD policy. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:13:54)
Motion: Approve updates to policies JFABE (Educational Opportunities for Military Children), JFABF (Educational Opportunities for Children in Foster Care), JHD (Exclusions and Exemptions from School Attendance), JIC (Student Discipline), JICE (Student Publications), JICFA (Prohibition of Hazing), JICFB (Bullying Prevention), JIH (Searches and Interrogations), removal of JKA (Corporal Punishment), and revisions to JL (Student Welfare) and JLC (Student Health Services and Requirements). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:16:05)
Motion: Approve out-of-state field trip for Hingham High School boys hockey to Rhode Island on December 6. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:40:25)
Motion: Approve combined mini grants totaling $9,031.20 from Hingham High School PTO. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:43:59)
Motion: Approve PTO gift to South School totaling $2,926.72. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:45:33)
Motion: Approve grant of $354 from East School PTO for Balloons Over Broadway program. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:46:28)
Motion: Adjourn to executive session, not to return to open session. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous by roll call. (Timestamp: 0:55:53)
Public Comment
No members of the public provided comment during the questions and comments period. No members of the public were present in person or online.
What’s Next
Policy JKAA (Physical Restraint of Students) will return for a second read and vote at the December 15, 2025 meeting. The Policy Subcommittee will meet December 10 to review additional policies. The Salary Negotiation Subcommittee will hold a strategy session with the Unity union (food services) on December 1 and meet for negotiations on December 2. The next School Committee meeting on December 15 will be conducted entirely via Zoom. The January 12, 2026 meeting will kick off the budget season for fiscal year 2027.