Dedham School Committee Meeting Briefs

The school committee called a meeting on short notice last week to discuss the Avery School and school choice, but it also undertook other business. Here's a look at what happened at the meeting:

1. Students hoping to get away with one less day of school could feel disappointment as the administration caught an error that the school calendar only had 179 days. The committee voted to extend the year to the usual 180 days, with the year ending on June 17.
2. The board welcomed the new principal of the Early Childhood Education Center, Jessica Hammond, who was in attendance.
3. Committee members picked the student councils that they will serve as liaisons for this coming years.
4. The committee heard from high school football and field hockey players pleading with the committee to allow them to play some, if not all, home games at their home field, instead of at Nobles and Westwood High School, as planned. The committee said they would look into it, but safety concerns surrounding the beginning of construction of the new Avery School and athletic fields were at issue.
5. With the Board of Selectmen carving out spots for three new committees this month, the school board placed their members as follows:

• Joe Heisler – Avery School reuse committee
• Kevin Coughlin – Major capital funds allotment committee
• Dimitria Sullivan – Financial policy committee
• Mayanne Briggs – Financial policy committee