The Newport School Committee is set to vote on rescinding Policy 1050 – Student Excellence and Success at its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 6:30 pm.
The policy, which focuses on educational equity and inclusivity, was approved last fall but is now under scrutiny due to potential legal issues.
James Dring, Chair of the Newport School Committee, explained the situation in an email to What’sUpNewp on Sunday, February 9. “Policy 1050 was created by the policy subcommittee and presented to the full SC for a vote late last fall. The policy narrowly passed, however it was never vetted by our attorney,” Dring said.
According to Dring, there was a consensus after the initial approval that the policy should be reviewed by the school district’s attorney. “I sent it to our Atty. Billy Conley and he found that parts of it were problematic from a legal perspective, and he recommended we withdraw it and send it back to the policy subcommittee to be updated based on his memo,” Dring stated.
Colleen Burns Jermain, Superintendent of Newport Public Schools, corroborated Dring’s account in an email to What’sUpNewp. “There was discussion- and I believe a consensus- to have our attorney review it and if there was a concern to bring it back later and return it to the subcommittee to address any legal concerns,” Jermain said in an email.
The potential rescission of the policy has raised concerns in the community. Rebekah Gomez, founder of Conexion Latina Newport, shared on social media, “The Newport School Committee is attempting to rescind the Equity policy it took them several years to write and get approved.”
A petition on Change.org, organized by former Newport School Committee Member Kendra Muenter, has gathered nearly 100 signatures in support of keeping Policy 1050. The petition argues that removing the policy “could have negative effect on both the academic and social development of students, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds.”
Policy 1050 outlines the Newport Public School District’s commitment to educational excellence and success for all students, regardless of their identities and experiences. It emphasizes educational equity practices, resource allocation, curriculum development, and family engagement.
The policy states, “NPS understands that dismantling institutional racism is a process, and is committed to continually working to understand and address it, building a community that accepts responsibility for confronting and preventing all forms of bias, and earning the trust of students and their families.”
Dring maintains that the move to reconsider the policy is not about its content but about following proper procedures. “I would be derelict in my duties as chair to not ask him to review it, especially when there is a consensus to do so,” he said.
The Newport School Committee will consider the action item “5.4 Request to rescind Policy 1050 – Student Excellence and Success” at their meeting on Tuesday, February 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Pell Elementary School.
Policy 1050