Weymouth School Committee Approves High School Handbook Changes, Launches Athletic Sponsorship Program
Committee rejects attendance policy change while approving food delivery ban; new sponsorship program to generate funds for district
WEYMOUTH - June 5 - The Weymouth School Committee has approved updates to the Weymouth High School student handbook, including new rules prohibiting food deliveries from services like Grubhub and DoorDash, while rejecting a proposed change to the attendance policy.
During their June 5 meeting, committee members voted to accept the handbook with minor changes but specifically excluded a proposed "buyback" program that would have allowed students to make up for attendance failures.
"I don't support that change," said committee member Kathleen Curran. "I just feel for this other 1,655 students, we're going to the lowest common denominator."
The current attendance policy, which remains unchanged, states that students who accumulate five unexcused absences in a term (approximately 40-45 days) receive an attendance failure. The proposed buyback program would have allowed students to make up for these absences.
Committee Chair Tracey Nardone expressed concerns about the message such a policy would send to students.
"We're setting them up for excuses," Nardone said. "I would be very concerned if someone I employed was absent five days in the 40-day span of their employment."
High school administrators Malissa Northup and Karen Bonner had presented the buyback program, explaining that it would help students who struggle with attendance. They noted that the program would include improved communication with families and students.
"We do weekly emails when students hit three absences, which is a warning, as well as five, which is considered the failure," Bonner said.
The committee suggested that administrators could collect data on attendance failures during the upcoming school year and potentially revisit the issue in the future.
In other business, the committee approved an updated public comment policy (BEDH) after making a verbal amendment to clarify language regarding comments about school personnel.
The final language states: "In order to protect the privacy of students and staff, comments and complaints either directly or indirectly regarding specific students or school personnel apart from the superintendent are prohibited."
The committee also received a presentation on a new athletic sponsorship program that will launch this summer. Kelly Powers outlined the program, which will allow local businesses to promote themselves through branded banners at athletic venues across the district.
"Our plan is starting this summer and leading into the fall season and for next school year to allow local businesses the opportunity to promote their businesses via branded banners that we will have available and hanging in high-visibility athletic locations across the district," Powers said.
The program offers sponsorship levels ranging from $200 to $5,000, with benefits including banner displays at the turf field, Weymouth High School gym, Adams and Chapman gyms, and the baseball and softball fields.
Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Brian Smith clarified that funds generated through the program will go into a district gift account rather than directly to athletic programs or booster clubs.
"We're actually reactivating an old dormant gift account," Smith said. "Although it's an Athletics sponsorship, the gift dollars are going to the district, so we want to make sure it's in a separate account."
Committee member Rebecca Sherlock-Shangraw expressed appreciation for the program.
"This is something that some committee members have been asking for for a little bit," she said. "I'm very optimistic that I think we can get this gift account up to a healthy number through this and maybe engage with the community a little bit more."
Other highlights from the meeting included:
* The Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) presented their end-of-year review, highlighting initiatives including resource fairs, sensory carts for school events, and collaborations with TA Fitness for social outings.
* Superintendent Melanie Curtin recognized student achievements, including winning essays at the Memorial Day celebration and successful performances by music groups at the Music in the Parks festivals.
* The committee voted to approve Curtin's participation on the Board of the South Shore Educational Collaborative effective July 1, 2025.
* Several high school music students spoke during public comment, advocating for the current choir director to remain in that position, though the committee noted that staffing decisions are not within their purview.
The next regular School Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 26 at 7 p.m.