Note: These minutes should be considered preliminary until they are approved at the next Policy
and Amendment Committee meeting.
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Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Policy and Amendment Committee
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Regular meeting 2:00 p.m.
Hybrid meeting: WSESU Central Office, 53 Green St., Brattleboro, VT and
Remotely via Zoom
DRAFT MINUTES
Policy and Amendment Committee members present: Deborah Stanford (DS, Chair), Anne Beekman (AB)
WSESD/U Staff and Administrators present: Mo Hart (MH), Bethany Bechard (BB), Shannon Kelly (SK), Michaela Simms (MSimms, via zoom)
Call to Order
DS convened the meeting at 2:05 p.m. and read the hybrid statement.
Approval of Minutes and confirmation of next meeting date
The minutes of 5/28/25 meeting approved by assent.
The Policy and Amendment Committee meets on second and fourth Wednesdays, from 2-4 pm at the WSESU Central Office and on Zoom. The committee has not yet finalized whether it will meet in July. The next meeting is scheduled for: June 25
Updates
DS noted that Tim Maciel sent an email regarding HHB and C7 and C8. That email and her reply are below:
On Jun 11, 2025, Tim Maciel wrote:
I’m sorry not to be able to call in or attend the Policy meeting in person as a non- member, but I’m asking you to consider two requests:
1. Per 16 VSA 570 (a) and (c), students have the right to file a complaint of harassment, hazing or bullying. I don’t believe our current HHB policy specifies this. Moreover, if a student feels the administration and superintendent fail to enforce the policy, that student, like any member of the community, may bring the complaint to the board. This does not only make legal sense, it seems like the ethical thing to do.
2. I don’t see a need for policies C7 and C8 and would vote against them.
Question: if a board member violated this policy, how would it be handled? We, as elected members of the board, report only to our constituents, the voters. And who would determine if there were an infraction, particularly when it is about a conversation between a staff member and board member. Any policy that is vague, open to broad interpretation, and unenforceable is a bad policy.
Thank you for considering these opinions. Feel free to include in the minutes if that is permissible. If there is not time on the agenda to discuss these requests or if presence at a meeting is required for consideration, I will understand.
Tim
On June 11, 2025, Deborah Stanford replied:
We are in total agreement regarding a student’s rights in filing a complaint having to do with HHB. The situation in question is much more complicated; nevertheless, my reply affirmed that individual’s right as well as referring the individual to D11 having to do with procedures regarding grievances against school personnel.
There has not been a denial of student’s rights in fact, rather an affirmation of student’s rights in this particular situation.
I appreciate your concerns about C7 and C8. There is never a “punishment” of any kind for a board member’s infraction of any rule as per Pietro Lynn in a board presentation years ago. We are elected members of the board.
Thank you for sharing these concerns. I will copy your email as well as my reply so that they can be linked in the minutes.
Regards,
Deborah
DS emphasized that the Board’s response to HHB issues will be the same, no matter who files the complaint—student, staff, community member, etc.
Policies
Gender Freedom in Schools
MH updated the committee on the status of the proposed policy: The specialist lawyer has reviewed the document and would like to share thoughts on a call. MH will work on scheduling a call time in early July, in the new fiscal year. If MS is available, this call could potentially take place July 9 during the regular Policy and Amendment Committee meeting time in executive session.
F5 Searches, Seizures, and Interrogation of Students by Law Enforcement Personnel or Other Non-School Personnel
The committee began reviewing F5, but the draft attached to the agenda was not the most current version with edits made at the last meeting.
The committee focused instead on working out a new section to the policy, specific to ICE.
The addition to the policy is based, in part, on the Statement on Commitment to Student Rights. Numerous edits to the original statement were made for clarity, content, relevance, and flow. Edits include:
● Define “eligible students”
● Strike sentence about HIPPA
● Specify “federal judge” not simply “judge”
● Add reference to Plyler v. Doe, 1982
● Strike “See procedures below”
● Change WSESU to WSESD
● Reorder paragraphs
After edits are complete, F5 may need to go back to Pietro for review.
F5 is ON HOLD until next meeting, 6/25/25, to review with edits.
F37 District Equity Policy
The current draft was not linked to the agenda.
F37 is ON HOLD until the next meeting, 6/25/25.
G4 Selection of Library Materials
The committee started looking at G4 last year, but it has been on hold for a while. Selection of Library Materials will become a mandatory policy as of 7/1/25. The district has a policy currently, so we are in compliance, but there is a new model policy from the VSBA.
The committee began comparing G4 (with prior edits in red) to the new VSBA model policy.
There are concerns about how deselection of materials is handled in the new model policy.
For the next meeting, BB will take the new model policy and place it in G4 in green type for easier review.
G4 is ON HOLD until next meeting, 6/25/25.
Meeting adjourned at 4:01 p.m.
Notes taken by Anna Monders (recorder)
Submitted by Anne Beekman
