AMHERST — The Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee has ordered a review of new disciplinary practices at Amherst Regional High School, including after-school and Saturday detention, after members said the changes were made without input from families or the committee.
In a 6-0 vote Tuesday, with two abstentions and one member absent, the committee directed Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman to determine whether the changes align with the 2021-22 student handbook, the last one recommended by a school council and approved by the School Committee.
Amherst representative Deb Leonard, who made the motion, said she can’t support the ways the “Amherst Regional High School Student and Family Handbook 2026–2027” changes the approach to discipline. She said the new handbook introduces alternative disciplinary approaches that may not follow due process, including notifying families, and may not take into account whether a student has an Individualized Education Program.
“I do not think that it makes sense for this district to institute disciplinary procedures, in particular assigning students discipline outside of school hours, without the knowledge and consent of families, this committee and the site council,” Leonard said.
The new handbook’s “alternatives to suspension” section lists mediation or conflict resolution, community service in the school or local community, a supervised study hall and a conference with the dean of students.
“These activities run after school, or on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and are supervised by faculty or staff in the ARPS community,” the handbook reads. “They are scheduled so that a student does not lose instructional time. Families are notified before a student is assigned one of these activities.”
Still, Leonard said it’s unclear whether these revisions fit into the holistic approach and levels of support the committee has endorsed in the past. Leonard said she is “vehemently opposed” to the committee not taking action against potentially harmful discipline targeting the most vulnerable populations.
Leonard cited a high school administrator’s mid-September email noting how hallways were cleared, crowded bathrooms were addressed and there were no longer vapes and weed smells, and how after-school detention and assignment to Saturday school was working to keep students in class and improve time on learning.
“These are not consistent with our policy, they are not consistent with our philosophy, and they are potentially causing harm, and we’re going to sit here and study it?” Leonard said. “Absolutely unconscionable, and I can’t stand by that.”
Committee Chairman William Sherr, of Pelham, said he, too, has concerns with the disciplinary procedures in the handbook and how they have changed this year.
Herman, though, said she worries about reverting to a handbook approved five years ago, knowing that since then the student population has changed, and for the high school handbook, state law allows the principal and the site council to edit those particular areas. She said that a five-year reversal to the approved handbook would only apply to the middle school.
“If that is what I’m directed to do, it will get done,” Herman said. “I have varied concerns about applying past practice to a current population whose needs have drastically changed.”
Herman said discipline in the latest handbook remains similar and lines up with the culture of the community. She added that there continue to be some practices that families may not like, but that these are still used.
In a memo to the committee in advance of the meeting, Herman noted that the revisions were led by Colleen Bogonovich, administrator of mental health and behavioral services, in collaboration with the building principals, and the review was focused on ensuring that both handbooks are accurate, accessible and aligned with district expectations.
Amherst representative Laura Jane Hunter said she agrees that there is a different population post-COVID, but she is concerned about a tightening up of discipline in ways that are not as affirming as she would like them to be. Hunter said she wants discipline to be aligned with the philosophy of the community and principal and district.
“I’m worried that we are not changing the culture around the way that students of color are disciplined differently than white students are, and that there has to be a very thoughtful approach to all discipline to make it unbiased,” Hunter said.
Hunter said there needs to be a lens of equity and responsiveness to students and understanding that they have lived through the COVID trauma.
Though she supported the final motion, Sarah Marshall, an Amherst representative, said she is not convinced of the benefit of starting with the 5-year old handbook, but she does want to make sure the handbook complies with the state law and with the policies enacted by the committee.
Marshall said there has to be a shared understanding of what the disciplinary process is right now.
Sherr said he is not necessarily supportive of going back to the previous handbook, but that the committee does need site council and parent input, and he is in favor of pausing that section on discipline.
Herman said there needs to be a deep conversation around how the schools are addressing behaviors for all students.
