When the 2025-26 School Year begins in September, Watertown High School students will have a new dress code, rules on using their cellphones, and fewer days to add or drop a class. The School Committee also discussed the sex-based harassment reporting policy, and heard about individualized instruction for math and literacy, and district policy changes.
The School Committee approved the changes to the WHS Handbook at its meeting on July 28.
High School Handbook Changes
Graduation competencies, in the high school handbook, have been adjusted to meet the competencies set by the WHS Program of Studies. A notable change includes the removal of an MCAS requirement.
The dress code section saw changes in language and some policy, with dated requirements and language replaced to fit modern standards. For instance, “student attire should not disrupt the educational or serve as a distraction to others” was changed to “students may dress casually and comfortably, but must be well-suited for the purpose of education, being appropriate for the school and classroom environment.” Also added were restrictions on clothing which portrays “illicit substances,” as well as “images or messages of a violent nature.”
Footwear rules have also been loosened. Where before students were not allowed to wear “flip-flops,” “beach shoes,” and “slippers,” language has been changed to only require that “student clothing must adhere to safety recommendations for specific educational settings.”
Also added is the need for an immediate change of apparel if the administration finds that clothing is inappropriate or unsafe.
Personal Electronic Device Policy also saw a minor addendum, with “or disabled” being added to the parts of the policy which specify devices must be “turned off.” Language was also added to the Moxley Addendum, which specifies that “WHS will pilot a few high-tech solutions to mitigate cellphone use – in the event that WHS chooses to engage in one of said pilots, students will participate.”
The Add/Drop period was reduced by seven to four days. For Semester 1 or Full-Year courses, schedule changes can be made prior to the beginning of school, or between the eighth and 11th day of school – changed from the 14th. For Semester 2 courses, changes can be made prior to the semester or between the first and third day of the semester – changed from the fifth.
The Handbook was approved by all members of the School Committee.
Student and Parent/Caregiver Rights and Responsibilities Handbook Changes
The Section II handbook changes were tabled by Foley due to “additional legal guidance”, and indicated that this would likely require another policy subcommittee meeting. The changes will be addressed during the upcoming School Committee Meeting in August.
What I Need Blocks – Watertown Elementary Schools
WIN Blocks – short for “What I Need” – are designated periods during the school day when students receive targeted support or take part in “enrichment” activities based on their individual academic needs.
For students who require academic intervention or assistance, WIN Blocks focus on providing direct resources and assistance in both Literacy and Math. These blocks are staffed by teachers, literacy/math tutors, or other related school staff such as ESL educators.
Related staff is able to track student progress through a number of progress checks – such as i-Ready assessments or DIBELS. This enables school staff to recognize weak points and allows for “Data Driven Goal Setting.” An MTSS flowchart was also created to help inform early intervention and support strategies.
The previous school year saw the addition of a specialized Math Recovery program for struggling students – which a number of coaches, interventionists, and special educators were trained for. A new math screener – the Universal Screener for Number Sense (USNS) – was also implemented as a new and effective tool for tracking students’ progress in math.
USNS Data from the previous year – and across all three Watertown Public Elementary Schools – showed inconsistent results. Grades 1 and 5 saw slight improvements in the number of students with “Below Basic” or “Well Below Basic” results, however every other grade saw increases in these numbers.
DIBELS results – which track progress in reading and literacy – showed the largest positive gain in kindergarten, which saw the proportion of students below or well below the benchmark drop from a combined 66 percent at the beginning of the year, to just 19 percent at the end. All other grades saw improvements as well, with far more students above the benchmark by the end of the year than at the beginning. Conversely, Grades 1 and 3 saw those “Well Below Benchmark” drop by more than 10 percent points each, while in Grades 3 through 5 the amount stayed roughly the same throughout the year.
I-Ready data was also presented. 688 students were tested at “Mid or Above Grade Level” in reading at the end of the year, up from just 238 at the beginning. In math, this increase was from 156 to 673 students. The largest group during the fall for both math and reading was students “One Grade Level Below”, which – in both subjects – fell from roughly 50 percent to 20 percent by the end of the year.
Policy Changes
The WPS Personal Electronic Device Policy saw a few changes, with some wording added and changed to clarify phrasing. The one notable change was the addition of a requirement that devices should be off or in silent mode “from the first bell of the school day to the end of the day while in the school building.” School Committee Chair Kendra Foley proposed that moving forward, wording for the policy should be simplified and that it should also clarify which grade levels certain rules apply to and where students must hold their devices during school hours.
No vote was held on the policy changes as this was only a first reading, and Foley added that both committee members and members of the public should “weigh in” on the changes. These changes are also only for K-8, with updates for high school policy expected at some point in the near future.
Sexual and Sex-Based Harassment and Retaliation Policy was also adjusted, with recent national rulings reversing Title IX Regulations from their 2024 iteration, to their former 2020 version. When it comes to sex-based harassment policy – which falls under the umbrella of Title IX regulations – Galdston noted that there were not many changes from the 2020 to the 2024 version, with the only major change relating to the reporting of assault or harassment.
Still, such a change – which under the 2020 regulations would require institutions to disclose the identity of accusers to the accused – was widely criticized by civil-rights advocates and survivor groups for seemingly stripping victims of a safe, confidential way to report misconduct. Committee member Lisa Capoccia voiced her concerns as well, inquiring if the vote on the new changes could be postponed – or dropped completely.
School Committee Vice Chair Lily Rayman-Read responded directly to these concerns, clarifying that, “this is something we have to do, it is a legal issue at this point.” Despite this, Rayman-Read and Galdston reiterated that they would handle these changes in a way which would continue to protect vulnerable students.
A vote on the changes will likely occur during the following School Committee Meeting.
Background Check Policy also saw an update, with the Nationwide Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) now being considered in combination with the prior Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) checks.
This will also be voted on at the Aug. 18 School Committee meeting.
More Items
The review of the districts Collective Bargaining Agreement with custodians was tabled for the time being, with Foley noting that a few details were still being worked out.
A grant of $191,362 – provided by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care – was also approved unanimously by the committee. The grant money will go towards the Watertown Family Center and general Coordinated Family and Community Engagement programming.