Watertown School Panel Advances Revised Middle School Handbook to Full Committee

WATERTOWN — June 15, 2026 — Watertown school policy panel approves middle school handbook changes and defers mandatory restraint policy update. The Watertown Public Schools Policy Subcommittee voted 3-0 at its June 15 meeting to advance a revised middle school student handbook — including two new diversity resolutions, a restructured discipline table, and a one-time $50 extracurricular club fee for the coming school year — to the full School Committee for a vote expected June 22. The panel also tabled action on a state-mandated update to its student restraint and seclusion policy, after members said they had not had adequate time to review a combined redline draft that merged Massachusetts Association of School Committees model language with revisions from district attorneys. The superintendent noted that new state regulations take effect August 17, 2026 regardless of when the policy is formally adopted. The session also included a first-look review of five existing technology policies, with members identifying potential additions including an explicit ban on in-school social media use, a shift from "acceptable use" to "responsible use" terminology, and a possible standalone policy on artificial intelligence.