Southbridge Policy Subcommittee Directs Receiver to Update Anti-Discrimination Rules Immediately

School Committee · Meeting of February 12, 2026

Southbridge School Committee Policy Subcommittee directs receiver to replace outdated anti-discrimination policies. Meeting with facilitator Tracy Novick of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the three-member subcommittee, Martina Shea, Stephanie Rivers, and Norma Tislik, reviewed Section A of the district's policy manual and found that non-discrimination policies AC through ACE are missing required language, including explicit CROWN Act protections for hair texture and protective hairstyles. Because the district remains under receivership, only the receiver can formally adopt policy changes; the subcommittee agreed to ask the receiver to pull the current policies from the district website and post updated MASC model language immediately.

Novick told the group, "I don't want to leave a school district in a place where we all know the anti-discrimination policies are out of date, because that's not a great legal place for you to be." The subcommittee also learned that a state-required annual wellness committee, which must include at minimum a parent, student, nurse, food service representative, school committee member, administrator, and a member of the public, cannot be confirmed as currently active in the district.

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Source: the School Committee meeting of February 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.