School Committee Tackles Student Handbooks, Transportation, and Vacancies

Report on the meeting of the Regional School Committee, Nov. 10, 2026

The meeting was held in the Amherst Regional High School library, simulcast over Amherst Media Channel 15, and recorded.

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Discipline Policy in Student Handbooks to Be Updated over the Coming Months

Packed agendas at several Regional School Committee (RSC) meetings this spring and fall have delayed updates to the high school and middle school student handbooks. State law requires the RSC and the school site councils to approve changes to disciplinary practices.

In May, Deb Leonard (Amherst) first raised concerns about changes to the handbooks’ discipline and code of conduct section, saying the policies may not align with RSC policy. She questioned whether the schools can require students to meet disciplinary obligations outside school hours without parental consent. She pointed to the district’s Saturday program, used for students who are falling behind in class or are chronically absent, and as an alternative to suspension.

Leonard said the RSC last approved the handbooks in 2021-22, which was also the last time parents gave input. Many changes have been made since then without an RSC vote or school site council approval. She asked that the handbooks’ discipline policies revert to the approved versions.

Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman (Dr. Xi), said the student body and the culture of the community have changed in the past five years. She said she was concerned about applying past practices to a “population that has drastically changed.”

Laura Jane Hunter agreed that the school population has changed, but she was concerned that school policies are tightening up in ways that are “not as affirming” as she would like. She wants the schools to view discipline through a “lens of equity, realizing that these students have gone through the trauma of the pandemic.”

The RSC voted 6-0, with Sarahbess Kenney (Pelham) and Anna Heard (Shutesbury) abstaining and Bridget Hynes absent, to revert the discipline policy to the approved 2021-22 version. Dr. Xi will review it with input from parents and the school site councils to ensure that any changes made since 2021-2022, when the handbook was last approved, align with current district policy. The RSC will take up the policy section by section at meetings this fall and winter, beginning Nov. 24.

Progress on School Transportation Issues

A shortage of bus drivers, combined with new routes for elementary students, has led to long rides and late arrivals. Dr. Xi said the district is analyzing results from two caregiver listening sessions and a survey to make changes that “remain focused on safe, reliable service and reducing late arrivals that affect breakfast access and instructional time.”

Concerns raised in the survey included:

• Walking distances and a lack of sidewalks or safe crossings.
• The safety of younger students traveling to shared stops.
• Missing addresses and unclear route assignments.
• Pickup and drop-off changes that disrupt family schedules.
• Long bus rides, late arrivals, and missed instruction.

The schools have already pushed back the start of instruction by 10 minutes to accommodate transportation delays, but some students still miss class time because of late buses. Dr. Xi said improving arrival times is a district priority.

A listening session for bus drivers has been scheduled, and a final caregiver session will be held later this month.

Planned changes include:

• Residential pickup for kindergarten students.
• Corrected addresses and updated student routing information.
• Revised stops and routes based on family feedback.
• A review of sidewalks, road conditions, crossings, and walking distances.

Route changes will be shared with families before the Nov. 30 rollout. The district will continue to monitor arrival times and make further adjustments as needed.

Key Staff Vacancies Remain

In her Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Xi said more than 20 positions remain vacant across the district. Micki Garlin (formerly Gromaki), the high school’s assistant principal, has agreed to serve as interim principal at Summit Academy. Lamicko Magee will replace her as interim assistant principal at the high school.

The nurse manager position has been especially hard to fill. A finalist withdrew from consideration, and the district is looking for someone to serve on an interim basis while recruitment continues.

Other vacancies include positions in special education, student support services, behavioral services, assistive technology, food service, family engagement, and paraeducator roles. The district will also need a high school math teacher in January because of a planned retirement. Many of these are specialized positions with limited applicant pools. The district has filled some positions temporarily with retirees and long-term substitutes.

RSC member Tim Shores (Leverett) said the middle school’s special education math position has been vacant since Oct. 7, and students have had no math instruction since then. He said parents learned about it only that week.

Student Representatives to the RSC Sought

Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 71, § 38M) requires each high school’s student body to elect a student advisory committee of at least five members. The committee’s chair serves as a nonvoting member of the RSC. Those representatives have not yet been elected this year.

The RSC voted unanimously to hold immediate elections for five student representatives, one from each grade and one from Summit Academy, and to invite all of them to the Dec. 8 RSC meeting.

Dr. Xi noted that many students have busy schedules with sports and other commitments. RSC Chair William Sherr (Pelham) said the representatives should be told they can attend meetings remotely.

Public Comment: Students Push for Climate-friendly Heating System

Ella Bradbury and Evelyn Ross of the high school’s Environmental Action Committee appeared before the RSC for the third time to urge replacing the oil burners at the middle school and high school with heat pumps. Bradbury said the heating system, which works poorly, accounts for 50% of the schools’ carbon emissions. Ross said Northampton and Agawam have replaced their heating systems, with Northampton installing a geothermal system. She added that some companies give free estimates for heat pump installation, so there is no reason not to get one.

Public Comment: Racial Inequities Persist, Employee Says

Georgia Malcolm, the athletics administrative assistant at the high school, said that despite a consent decree against the school system in a 1993 lawsuit brought by the NAACP, systemic racism persists in the schools. She said it shows in a lack of staff diversity and in harsher discipline of students and staff of color. She said Black students and employees are held to different standards than their white counterparts, and she urged the RSC to enforce the 1993 consent decree.