Laconia School Board filing period concludes for November elections

LACONIA — The Laconia School Board approved, conditional to their recommended changes, handbooks for each of the district schools on Tuesday. Recommendations for changes included ensuring the weapons and tobacco policies were consistent across schools and ensuring that each handbook was accurate for each individual school. 

The board also discussed ways to change meeting practice to promote public transparency and informedness, COVID-19 updates, and the conclusion of the filing period for November’s school board elections in Wards 2 and 3. 

Recommendations for handbook changes

Before reviewing the handbooks, Chair Aaron Hayward described the school board’s approach to handbook review. 

“We’re not here to wordsmith these things and nitpick every little procedure,” Hayward said. “If we have concerns about policy being implemented and followed appropriately, if we have concerns about some changes in procedures that you think may impact the school community negatively, then these could be part of that discussion.” School board approval of handbooks, he continued, serves as an endorsement of schools’ practices.

In reviewing the handbooks, board members highlighted that the tobacco policies for several of the district schools were out of date, referencing the previous legal age of 18. After discussion, the decisive recommendation was for tobacco policies to prohibit use on all district property, regardless of age. 

Board member Jennifer Anderson recommended that the weapons policy be made consistent for all schools regarding knives. Some handbooks referenced specific types of knives as well as knives generally, while Laconia High School’s policy banned knives of any kind: Anderson felt that all schools should have the same weapons policy and that LHS’ was the most clear and comprehensive.

The handbooks for Laconia’s three elementary schools are very similar, and the board reviewed them together. Board member Laura Dunn noticed that the Pleasant Street School handbook had likely been copied from the Woodland Heights handbook and still had instances of “Woodland Heights School” in its text, rather than PSS. Hayward expressed approval of cooperation and consistency between schools on handbooks, and the board recommended that the PSS handbook be corrected for personalization and accuracy.

Handbook questions resolved

LHS Principal Jim McCollum and Assistant Principal David Bartlett as well as Laconia Middle School Principal Alison Bryant were in attendance and helped answer questions. 

Board member Dawn Johnson asked about instances of pronoun changes in the Laconia Middle School handbook; several places where a student was previously described as “he/she” or “his/hers” were changed to use the pronoun “they” or “their.” Johnson asked the reason for the change; Bryant explained that it was for ease of reading, that it brought a concise flow to the writing.  

“We’re always trying to fine tune that handbook so that it's as clear and concise and easy for our families to read,” Bryant said. “We were reading that sentence going ‘this is really cumbersome.' 'They' means the same thing, so let’s just strike it so that it's more clear.” In other instances in the handbook where he/she was more clear, she noted, the pronouns were not changed. “It’s the English teacher in me,” Bryant noted. “That’s it.” Johnson took no issue with this and said she was glad for the explanation.

Dunn raised concern with the high school’s rule to disallow certain early graduates from participating in graduation. The rule states that anyone who has met the requirement to graduate early but who does not remain enrolled in three “educational experiences” may not walk the graduation stage. Dunn found it potentially exclusive. 

McCollum explained that this rule was in place to keep upperclassmen engaged with school beyond the base credit requirement to graduate and promotes high school as a four-year experience for all students. McCollum said that the administration would readily work out individual plans for students on this issue. 

According to Bartlett, there were three seniors just last year who, because of the requirement, did internships and [experiential learning opportunities] who otherwise would not have. These led to jobs in careers they are now pursuing post-grad. 

“It opened a path that they didn’t know they wanted,” Bartlett said, and emphasized that the school works with students to find a path that interests them. McCollum called that experience “transformative.”

Board member Laura Dunn said she was glad to hear that administrators were willing to work with individual students, and the board expressed approval of the change to the word “experiences” rather than “courses” or “credits.”

Bartlett clarified the high school’s Sachem Support Block, or SSB, change: instead of a separate period during the day requiring passing time and disruption, SSB would now be tacked on to the end or beginning of regular course periods. Students would gain time and focus by not having to make superfluous transitions between rooms.

Several board members complimented the high school’s new tardy policy and zero tolerance phone policy. LHS struggled with tardiness last year, and this year students will receive a detention for every third unexcused tardy, which will cause them to miss co-curricular activities, sports and clubs for a day. Students who skip that detention will face suspension.

McCollum noted that temporary measures to combat tardiness last year cut tardiness in half. He anticipated the new rule’s power would be in deterrence, and, when deterrence failed, intervention and course-correction.

Though not a recommendation for handbook change, Dunn noted that several of the handbooks referenced school board policy that was last updated around 20 years ago and recommended that the board’s policy committee, which she sits on, review and potentially update several policies.

Board member comments

During board member comments, Dunn suggested that, in a manner compliant with confidentiality rules, the packet of information board members receive before every meeting be posted alongside meeting agendas for convenient access by the public. Agendas are posted on the Friday afternoon before a Tuesday meeting. 

“It would certainly alleviate some rumors or confusion,” about what the board is addressing in a given meeting, Dunn said. For example, posting the board packet for this meeting would have facilitated public access to the handbook contents in advance of board discussion.

Toward a similar end, Johnson advocated that all board committee meetings be recorded to promote transparency and accessibility, since they are open to the public anyway. The board made no determination on these suggestions and will discuss them further at later meetings.

Dunn also asked if, since the previous COVID school guidelines had only been approved for the 2021-2022 school year, if the board should approve new guidelines for this year for the sake of clarity. Superintendent Steve Tucker responded that school nurses would work with students on a case by case basis and that the school would continue to follow state Department of Health and Human Services recommendations. 

Upcoming elections

The filing period for school board candidates closed on Aug. 12. Hayward reported at the meeting that there are two candidates running in Ward 2 — Kelly Caravona and incumbent Laura Dunn — and only one in Ward 3, Karin Salome. 

Hayward, who currently serves Ward 3, is ineligible for reelection because redistricting made him a resident of Ward 1. This ward is currently served by Jennifer Ulrich, and the seat is not up for election until 2024.

In an interview, Hayward said that he would not have run again regardless. “I’ve served my six years, I’m done,” he said. In response to the race in his district being uncontested, Hayward said, “I’m shocked, given that there are residents of Ward 3 who have been vocal on Pleasant Street School and other issues before the board.”