At the June 7 School Committee meeting the Broadmeadow School Improvement Plan was presented and a draft of a new policy on Student Data Privacy was discussed.
Superintendent’s Comments
Dr. Gutekanst congratulated this year’s approximately 430 graduating seniors
Students enrolled in the Greater Boston Project joined School Committee to discuss their capstone project, which will provide free period products at the high school and middle schools starting next fall. The service is being provided through Aunt Flow and will be funded through the Town’s budget. A detailed presentation of the project can be found in the meeting packet starting on page 9.
Broadmeadow School Improvement Plan
Principal Andy Garlick was joined by a group of students, parents, and teachers to present the Broadmeadow School Improvement Plan. A detailed presentation can be found in the meeting packet starting on page 46.
The Broadmeadow School Council sought feedback from the entire school community — students, staff, and families — to assess past goals and develop a new three-year plan. Surveys were provided to all stakeholders, and the following areas were identified as priorities:
Meeting the social and emotional needs of students, many of whom are feeling more anxious and disconnected
Focusing on community-building events such as all-school meetings and the buddy program
Supporting academic growth for all learners
Continued work on DEI initiatives
Less emphasis on technology-related instruction
The plan includes action steps in seven goal areas:
Continue to embrace Broadmeadow’s diverse community and foster an environment in which all members feel welcomed and essential.
Students will develop skills needed to be active and informed members of their community. They will acknowledge and appreciate the diversity of their world, town, school and classroom, and will learn how to sustain positive relationships with other members of our school, commonwealth, nation and world community.
Support students and educators by developing a shared vision of students’ experiences, school behavior expectations and common values.
Create opportunities and provide targeted instruction in order to meet the needs of diverse learners at Broadmeadow.
Students will continue to develop as mathematical thinkers and problem-solvers who seek to engage with the world around them.
Students will continue to develop as lifelong readers and writers who engage in deep discussions about literacy and communicate clearly in both spoken and written form.
Social Emotional Learning - Students will develop effective social-emotional skills so that they succeed across a variety of settings.
School Committee Policy – Student Data Privacy Policy
School Committee discussed a draft of a new policy related to Student Data Privacy. It will complement the existing student records policy while addressing new issues related to the use of online vendors who provide services to the district. The intention is for the policy to provide broad guidance and transparency, while details of implementation will be handled at the school level through student handbooks. It is important for school practices to be consistent with school policies.
The policy will be voted on at a future meeting prior to the start of the next school year. The proposed text of the policy can be found in the meeting packet on page 56.
Action Items
Three action item were approved by unanimous vote:
Renewal of Legal Services Agreement (3-year contracts with two law firms)
Contract for Space – Early Childhood Program (3-year lease at Congregational Church)
FY’23 Revolving Funds Fees — note: there were minor fee increases in order to fund scholarships
Information Item
The tentative 2022-23 School Committee meeting calendar is included at the end of the meeting packet.
School Committee Comments
SC members called attention to the much-welcome return of in-person community events throughout the district, including graduation, school fairs at Newman and Sunita Williams, and the return of third graders to the Needham History Museum.
The next School Committee meeting is June 22 at 5:00pm.