Retiring Committee members Ginny Kremer and Rebeccah Wilson acknowledged for their service
Retiring Acton-Boxborough School Committee members Ginny Kremer and Rebeccah Wilson were publicly thanked for their civic engagement and service to the school district at what was their final meeting on April 17. Kremer and Wilson previously announced that they would not be running for re-election.
Kremer, who served nine-years on the committee, was described by her School Committee colleagues as a mentor, a trusted voice on policy, a relentless advocate with state legislators, and an unwavering champion for free, universal, full-day kindergarten. Wilson, who is retiring after three years of service, was twice voted by her peers to serve as Acton’s Vice Chair and currently serves as Chair of the Budget Subcommittee. Members recognized Wilson for taking on leadership roles early in her tenure and for her passion, drive, commitment, and perspective.
Acton voters will elect two new members to the School Committee at the upcoming local election on Tuesday, April 29. The School Committee race is contested. In-person voting in Acton will take place at R.J. Grey Jr. High School from 7AM to 8PM.
School Committee grapples with policy decisions on right to recess and Title IX protections
At their April 17 business meeting, the School Committee deferred a vote on an updated Student Discipline Guidelines policy after failing to achieve consensus on a section of the policy pertaining to right to recess.
Last updated in 2014, the new discipline policy introduces language affirming the importance of recess in supporting social development and physical health and well-being and prohibits withholding recess as a form of discipline. School Committee discussion focused on an exception in the policy that empowers school administrators to withhold recess in “limited cases in order for students to participate in a restorative exercise or where there is demonstrable concern for student safety at recess.”
Committee members voiced concerns regarding withholding recess as a punitive measure and asked for clarification on when staff might engage students in restorative exercises outside of the recess period. Liz Fowlks, who leads the policy subcommittee, explained that “the exception was included to allow educators the flexibility and opportunity to check-in and support students when needed and to make the point that if there’s going to be limitations around student access to the full recess period, an administrator needs to be involved.”
The draft policy will return to the subcommittee for additional stakeholder input and possible revision before returning to the full committee for a vote.
Also at their April 17 business meeting, the School Committee reluctantly approved a motion to update policy language pertaining to prohibition of discrimination and harassment to comply with updated Title IX regulations enacted by the Trump administration. The changes were approved by a vote of four School Committee members with six members abstaining.
Title IX is a 1972 landmark federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination and harassment in educational entities that receive federal funding.
The new regulations replace gender identity as a protected class with language enforcing protections on the basis of biological sex. The action affects school district’s policies on Nondiscrimination, Prohibition of Harassment, and Pregnant and Parenting Students.
Deputy Superintendent of Schools, Andrew Shen, reported at the April 17 meeting that “the district worked with legal counsel to adapt our polices to align with changes resulting from recent decisions made under the current presidential administration. District policies and procedures regarding bullying and harassment continue to incorporate gender identity as a protected class.”
Members Campbell, Fowlks, Klein, and Kremer voted YES, and members Bloomenthal, Parikh, Ramchandran, Schmidt, Schwartz, and Wilson abstained. Member Kaja was absent. Member Ramachandran commented, “I understand we have to do this as a result of shifts at the federal level. I look forward to working with the School District around how we keep protecting students.”
District Management Group is hired to support development of new strategic plan that includes school reorganization and/or consolidation
The School District has selected the Boston-based firm District Management Group (DMG) to help lead an effort to develop a comprehensive preK-12 Strategic Plan that is expected to include a reorganization and/or consolidation of the District’s schools, grade level locations, and/or specific educational programs. The new Strategic Plan will serve as a successor to the current District Strategy which expires in 2026.
At the April 17 School Committee meeting, DMG Consulting Director, Joe Costello presented an overview of the process that is heavily reliant on cycles of stakeholder engagement to identify preferred reorganization scenarios. The work will begin this May and is expected to culminate in December 2025. An appointed multi-stakeholder Strategic Plan Steering Committee will work with District leaders and DMG throughout the process to build community awareness, understanding, momentum, and consensus for change. The plan will include a recommended timeline for implementation in either September 2026 or September 2027.
The School Committee’s published goals, which are still in draft form and will inform the District’s long range strategic plan indicate that “everything is on the table including the number of schools and how schools are organized. We’ve had to make tough choices to balance the budget in recent years. The funding we receive from our towns and the state is no longer keeping up with cost drivers. Our goal is to build something sustainable that will endure for decades, not just patchwork solutions for another budget cycle. We are reimagining the structure and experience of education to build the school system of the next fifty years.”
Diane Baum is the School Committee beat reporter for the Acton Exchange. She served on the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee from 2015 to 2021.