Fall River School Panel Advances Athletic Handbooks, GPS and Seclusion Policies

FALL RIVER — June 10, 2026 — Fall River's School Committee Policy Subcommittee referred a sweeping set of policy items to the full committee at its June 10 meeting, including new student athletics handbooks, a contentious seclusion policy tied to a hard August 17 state deadline, and an expense reimbursement policy flagged for missing IRS meal-rate language. Subcommittee Chair Colin Dias, Ashley Riley, and Sherry Stewart voted 3-0 to send three new athletic handbooks — the district's first-ever elementary handbook and a new middle school coach's handbook — to the full committee, while a 2-1 vote (Dias dissenting) advanced a revised restraint, timeout, and seclusion policy required under new DESE regulations in 603 CMR 46. Dias said he feared the new rules "placing both students and staff at an increased risk, a safety risk." The panel also unanimously tabled a proposed AngelSense GPS tracking policy after members raised concerns about Massachusetts wiretapping law and a draft provision that could strip transportation from students in specialized programs. On expenses, members cited a recent $2,700 meal reimbursement — roughly $90 per person for a culinary field trip to Hell's Kitchen — and directed the administration to insert IRS-compliant per-meal caps before the policy goes to the full committee.