The Andover School Committee will vote on five policies and hear Superintendent Keith Taverna's goals for the first time when it meets Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m.
The committee's posted agenda lists the superintendent's goals as a first reading, meaning members will discuss them but are not expected to vote. Taverna was appointed superintendent in June after serving as interim since March.
The meeting also includes a presentation on the district's year-end financials. Those details have not been released ahead of the session.
Five policies up for a vote
The heaviest section of the agenda is a slate of five policies returning for second readings, the last step before adoption. They cover:
- Administration of medications to students
- Time-out, seclusion and restraint of students
- School choice
- Access to buildings and grounds
- PROTECT Act compliance (Policy ACL), being formalized under the committee's policy-adoption rules
The first three policies have been in the pipeline since at least June, when the Policy Subcommittee took them up at a June 15 meeting.
The PROTECT Act item carries its own backstory. At a prior meeting, the committee voted 5-0 to adopt the immigration-enforcement policy immediately, bypassing its normal two-reading process. The state law, signed by Gov. Maura Healey on Aug. 5, restricts warrantless civil immigration arrests at public schools, child care facilities, health care facilities and courthouses.
Committee member Jake Tamarkin said at that earlier meeting that the compressed timeline left the board little choice. Andover News reported that the committee agreed to review its decision to suspend the normal process at its next meeting. Thursday's agenda lists the PROTECT Act policy under second readings, though it is not clear whether the item is a formal ratification vote or a procedural review of the emergency adoption.
Other business
The agenda includes a report on student activity account transfers and closeouts, a Policy Subcommittee technology assessment and a consent agenda covering grants, donations and meeting minutes. An education segment on the district's "Vision of Graduate" initiative is also listed.
Public comment is capped at 10 minutes at the start of the meeting. If more residents want to speak, the comment period will resume after continuing business.
How to watch
The meeting takes place in the School Committee Room on the second floor of the School Administration Building in Andover. It will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 99 and Verizon Channel 43, and streamed at www.andovertv.org.
