Kingston School Committee Approves Teacher Contract Amendment
Safety concerns raised by parent
KINGSTON - September 15 - The Kingston School Committee unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement with the teachers' union during their September 15th meeting, while also addressing significant safety concerns raised by a local parent about inadequate identification protocols at district schools.
The Full Story
The meeting began with public comment from Matt Jeffery, a special education teacher and Kingston parent, who raised serious concerns about staff identification protocols across district schools. Jeffery reported witnessing multiple instances where school staff were not wearing required identification lanyards, making it impossible for parents and students to distinguish between authorized personnel and potential intruders.
"I couldn't tell who the teachers or parents were at the open house," Jeffery said about a recent visit to the integrated preschool. "If I can't tell, how can my kids tell or our kids tell?" He described similar situations at both the middle school and elementary school, where he observed staff either not wearing lanyards or wearing them improperly.
Superintendent Dr. Jill Proulx acknowledged the concerns and confirmed that the district budgets for lanyards annually and sends reminders to principals at the beginning of each school year. However, she agreed that enforcement needed improvement. "If it's not happening, we need to make sure it does happen," Proulx said, committing to work with principals to ensure compliance.
Another parent, George Priolo, addressed the committee about dangerous bus stop conditions on Brewster Road and Summer Street. The bus company recently changed the pickup location due to safety concerns about the bus crossing double yellow lines when exiting Brewster Road. However, the new arrangement requires up to twelve children, including some younger than school age, to wait at the dangerous intersection of Summer Street and Brewster Road.
"When you have 9 to sometimes 12 children, some of which that are younger than school age, standing on that corner, now when someone comes out of Winthrop and is trying to watch everything going on and they hit one of those kids, that's safer?" Priolo questioned.
Director of Finance & Operations Sarah Hickey explained that the change was made after consultation with the School Resource Officer, principals, and bus company officials who determined that buses exiting Brewster Road created traffic safety violations. The committee expressed concern about children being directed to wait in a private resident's yard and committed to exploring alternative solutions.
Committee member Jeanne Coleman emphasized that child safety should take priority: "Respectfully, I'd rather a school bus get into an accident with another vehicle than a child to be hit."
In administrative updates, Kingston Elementary School Principal Kerri Whipple reported successful implementation of the new HMH math curriculum, with extensive summer professional development helping teachers prepare. She noted that kindergarten enrollment of 152 students was significantly lower than projected, allowing for smaller class sizes of approximately 20 students instead of 27.
Kingston Intermediate School Principal Andy Materna reported one of the smoothest school openings in recent memory, with successful implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system and Eagle Wings positive incentive program.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tricia Clifford announced that Kingston received a competitive $193,000 PRISM grant to support literacy instruction improvements. Only 33 Massachusetts communities received this grant, which will fund teacher stipends for curriculum evaluation, consulting services, and half the cost of a new English Language Arts program.
The committee also reviewed updates on the Kingston Elementary School roof project through the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program. The schematic design has been completed with a town meeting vote scheduled for October 28th on the $1,263,768 project, which will be reimbursed at a 53.53% rate by the state.
During executive session, the committee unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement with the Kingston Teachers Association, though specific details were not disclosed in open session.
Why It Matters
The safety concerns raised highlight critical security gaps that could potentially compromise student and staff safety across all district schools. Parents depend on clear identification of authorized personnel, especially in an era of heightened school security awareness. The bus stop situation demonstrates how safety decisions can create new hazards, requiring ongoing dialogue between transportation providers, local officials, and school administrators to protect student welfare.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: Approve consent agenda including warrants totaling $635,257.79 and grants/donations totaling $345,859 (excluding June 25th minutes). Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 28:15)
Motion: Approve mosquito spraying for town buildings. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 30:46)
Motion: Approve memorandum of agreement with Kingston Teachers Association as presented in executive session. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 1:28:15)
Public Comment
Two parents addressed safety concerns: Matt Jeffery raised issues about inadequate staff identification protocols across district schools, while George Priolo complained about dangerous bus stop conditions requiring children to wait at a busy intersection. Both issues prompted commitments from administration to investigate solutions.
What's Next
Administration will work with principals to improve staff lanyard compliance and explore solutions for the Brewster Road bus stop safety concerns. The committee has meetings scheduled with Kingston Board of Selectmen on September 18th and will hold curriculum nights at both elementary schools. The MSBA roof project will go to town meeting on October 28th, and the regionalization study committee continues meeting via Zoom on September 24th.