The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met on Tuesday, June 24 in Everett for their final meeting of this school year. The agenda can be found here; the video recording is here.
The Board opened with public comment, most of which was on the proposed amendments to state regulations regarding time out and seclusion. Two administrators expressed concerns regarding implementation and unintended consequences of the changes, including possible increased use of restraint, crisis teams, and law enforcement, as well as possible dangers to staff and students. Two others called for the Board not to “allow this fear to dictate our policies,” and urged them to move ahead with the change. There were also a number of current high school students and recent graduates who spoke of their experiences with the Biggest Winner Math Challenge program, which is not running this year. Students spoke of the impact of being challenged and learning with other students, of the opportunity to lead and to connect with others.
Chair Katherine Craven thanked staff at DESE for carrying on during “a year of real change.” She announced that member Michael Moriarty is leaving the Board, having completed the two five year terms provided by law. Moriarty spoke of his experience in public service in education, starting with his time on the Holyoke School Committee. Regarding the state literacy plan, he said it “takes patience.” More largely he said that in his view, the work of the Department and Board is “going to require regulatory work going forward, some of which we don’t have the statutory authority for at this time.”
Secretary Tutwiler, completing his time as interim commissioner this month, opened his comments by thanking Moriarty for his service. He then spoke of recent immigration action taken against both people across the country and specifically Massachusetts students and recent graduates. He said:
Many of you are aware that Massachusetts and at least one recent graduate were among those who were detained recently by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These arrests did not target criminals and do not make our communities any safer. They pull families apart, and they pull communities apart. They make people scared to leave their homes and to send their children to school. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor have spoken out against these actions, and at DESE, we continue to work closely with the Attorney General’s Office, the Office for Refugees and Immigrants to share information directly through webinars and email, and also with districts, about people’s rights, whether they are the targets of immigration enforcement or bystanders. We’ll continue to update you with our continued work with the agencies and in partnership with school districts on this issue as we go forward.
Tutwiler also told the Board that the K-12 Graduation Council is now meeting monthly, The Council has added two further public input sessions, both online, on Wednesday, June 25 from 5-7 PM, and one for students on Monday, June 30 from 5 to 6 PM. The community survey is also open and remains open through Monday, June 30th.
Incoming Commissioner Martinez begins next Tuesday. Tutwiler also noted that 38 had completed the Aspiring Principal Fellowship this year, and also updated on the Literacy Launch work, in which 15 districts have received grants, with another round of grants to be award, and a summer institute still taking registrations.
This year’s Mitchell Chester Award went to Liz Losee, Director of Educator Effectiveness Policy.
The first presentation the Board received was from the North Attleborough Public Schools on their innovation pathways program, at the invitation of Chair Craven. North Attleborough High has an advanced manufacturing pathway, which started in 2018 as a response to that being identified as a specific area of need in the region. Innovation pathway programs require two career courses, two advanced courses (DESE staff noted that many districts use Project Lead the Way), and an immersive end of program experience. Students spoke to the Board of how it felt much more like college: it was student led, with student time management, involving a problem you come up with and solve yourself, with one saying, “it’s more us leading the project.” A student said, the program “allows us to feel more motivated because it is more personal to us” and one said they’d “found something we love for our career…something that we love and can do in our career.” One of their teachers noted that it was amazing to watch them push each other and learn and grow together.
The Board next welcomed Mayor Josh Garcia, Superintendent-Receiver (soon to be interim superintendent) Anthony Soto, and Vice Chair Dr. Yadilette Rivera Colón, all of Holyoke, to celebrate Holyoke’s exiting state receivership on July 1. Secretary Tutwiler reminded the Board that this was a process begun by Interim Commissioner Russell Johnston, who announced the provisional decision last fall. Tutwiler said the School Committee is “well prepared to resume local governance of that district.” Garcia, noting the “long journey” to this day, said that local government work is complex and not easy, and that there was “some soul-searching on the Commonwealth side…people recognizing there was no blueprint to do this.” After thanking the Board for their work, Rivera Colón said, “this is not a goal; this is only the beginning” and in Holyoke, this is “all hands on deck…everyone doing all they can.” Soto said the leadership is in place to build off this foundation. Moriarty, who served on the Holyoke School Committee prior to state receivership, commented, “accountability as a statewide action step is not where it should be at all…academic outcomes are not the reason for coming out of receivership,” and asked, “what does this process as it exists under the” law mean for us?
Ioannis Asikis, at his final meeting as the student member, presented the Board with the State Student Advisory Council end of year report. He emphasized that there was a push on access and representation with year, with in person meetings held in Leicester, Worcester, Everett, and Methuen this year, and the hybrid format maintained to allow for more to participate. The SSAC grounded their work this year in the Youth Behavioral Health Survey, thus representing the needs of thousands of students, not only those in the SSAC. There were overarching themes this year in mental health and connectedness to school, with students agreeing to the need for that support across student experiences. There was a coordinated call for better access to mental health support, to improved staff training, and to creation and maintenance of stronger relationships between schools and students.
Member Ericka Fisher asked how this work gets back to local districts; there is, it emerged, not a pathway for it to do so, which may be of interest to local district leadership.
Asked for how best to communicate with students, Asikis praised the Secretary’s Instagram. He closed by speaking of his own experience as an immigrant to Massachusetts, who has now served as the voice of students on this Board.
The Board did not discuss the provided FY26 budget update. The Board did vote to approve the delegation of charter management authority, as well as next year’s schedule of meetings.
Finally, the Board took up the revised recommendations for amendment to time out regulations. Revisions were made in response to public comment.
Already proposed in the amendments were:
- an updated definition of seclusion and timeout (“in an unlocked setting from which the student is permitted to leave”)
- additional requirements for any room used
- emergency circumstances under which a type of seclusion is allowed as a last resort
- build in safeguards for the above
- require approved special ed day programs to comply with update
- align documentation requirements
In response to public comment, amendments further:
- changes implementation to August 17, 2026 (rather than this September)
- moves language from safeguards to the definitions section
- clarifies further the emergency exception (in 46.07(2)
There will also be guidance on various topics that were reflected in the public comment, as well as multi-year professional development and funding to assist with implementation. After comments from Stewart regarding stakeholder engagement; Hills regarding implementation; and Moriarty regarding “addressing problematic districts that do not see a problem,” the Board voted unanimously in favor.
The Board adjourned. They are scheduled to meet next on Tuesday, September 30.