Menu

Plymouth School District board meeting, Sep 9, 2026

1 h 34 min · 2 public speakers

Safety, weapons and police ▶ 39:54

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 34 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Plymouth board authorizes AESA partnership process, adopts 5-year strategic plan 38:06

  • The board heard a presentation on AESA global education programs, then approved a motion authorizing the central office team to begin the process of a partnership with AESA. 11:27
  • The board tabled a proposal to share the Eli Terry Junior Middle School library with the town after a staff member said the town council had not been told about it. 50:57
  • A staff member said the reports for Fisher and for Eli came back worse than the staff member expected and called the findings concerning. 57:36

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening, agenda and minutes 0:09
    • The board voted on the agenda and on minutes of the August 12th, 2026 special meeting retreat and regular meeting. 0:40
    • The motions to adopt the agenda and approve both sets of minutes carried. 0:54
  2. Student representative reports 1:45
    • Middle school representatives described a weekly extended homeroom and new unified wellness and consumer science classes. 2:09
    • High school representatives described fall sports, including a merger of the Terryville and Gilbert girls soccer teams, and upcoming music department events. 6:25
    • A speaker said the fall play is the weekend of November 20th. 10:12
  3. Global education partnership presentation 10:30
    • A presenter said there are over 500 education service agencies nationwide serving about 18,000 districts. 11:27
    • Gerard Bourbonniere asked about communication issues with students from China, and the presenter said a larger percentage of Chinese students are now well equipped with English and that a culture prep curriculum is used. 29:07
    • Robin Palmer asked how many students would come, and the presenter said the district can set that number. 33:10
    • A motion to authorize the central office team to begin the process of a partnership with AESA carried. 38:06
  4. Public comment on firearm safety 38:32
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to consider adopting a firearm safety curriculum, citing Public Act 19⁠-⁠5 and a state firearm safety guide. 40:54
    • A staff member said the board does not respond to public comment but would call the speaker the next day. 43:18
  5. Superintendent's update 43:57
    • The superintendent said 15 children are enrolled in before and after-school care at Plymouth Center School with 10 applications pending, and 4 at Fischer with 3 pending. 44:54
    • The superintendent said the district partnered with the Boys and Girls Club on 7 fall activities and that the district's attorney advised against an MOU. 45:29
    • The superintendent said a Terryville High School social studies teacher was selected to receive the 26 Yale Educator Award. 47:47
  6. Board meeting dates for 2027 48:59
    • The board considered a motion to approve its meeting dates for calendar year 2027. 48:59
    • The motion carried. ~49:33
  7. Out-of-state band field trip 49:39
    • A staff member said the band trip to the Big E would include 7th through 12th grade students this year. 49:42
    • The motion was for an October 2nd, 2026 trip to the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts. 50:15
    • The motion carried. ~50:41
  8. Shared use of middle school building 50:57
    • A staff member recommended tabling the item because the idea of sharing the building with the town had not been brought to the town council. 50:57
    • Gerard Bourbonniere moved to table the proposal to use the library for town purposes until there is a discussion with the town council and the mayor. 53:05
    • The matter was tabled. ~53:36
  9. Business manager's report 53:47
    • The business manager said the state approved free lunch for reduced students this year and that a move of food service and activity accounts into Infinite Visions has a target completion of the end of October. 54:12
    • The business manager said reports for Fisher and Eli came back worse than expected and that a quote of about $10,000 to repair a leak at Fischer is a Band-Aid. 57:36
    • Robin Palmer asked about replacing the Fisher carpet with tile, and a staff member said re-leveling the floor would become cost prohibitive. 1:04:41
  10. Personnel report 1:06:15
    • A staff member said the district had 2 resignations of speech and language pathologists and that support staff could not start until October. 1:06:23
    • The staff member said a Plymouth Center School special education teacher will retire at the end of December. 1:07:27
  11. Second public comment period 1:07:56
    • A speaker at public comment asked what the district plans to do to fill speech and language needs. 1:09:03
    • A staff member said the assistant superintendent in charge of special education would call the speaker. 1:10:15
  12. Curriculum committee and strategic plan 1:11:23
    • A staff member described a new IXL and DIBELS communication plan for parents. 1:11:36
    • The staff member said the committee felt the board should adopt the current 5-year strategic plan and revisit it in January. 1:12:42
    • The motion to adopt the 5-year strategic plan 2026 to 2031 passed with 8 in favor. 1:14:10
  13. Policy committee revisions 1:14:51
    • A staff member described changes to meal charging, faculty dress code, student privacy and private device policies, and a new policy barring e-bikes and e-scooters from being ridden on school grounds. 1:15:05
    • One board member said covering liability on bike registration is important, and another board member asked whether insurance certificates would be needed. 1:20:24
    • A motion to bring the proposed policies to the full board for a first read carried. 1:21:37
  14. Liaison reports and board comments 1:21:53
    • Robin Palmer said Plymouth Center School has Build a Mascot on September 18th and its first school store on October 2nd. 1:22:05
    • One board member said they were not pleased with the roof issue and suggested talking to the Board of Finance, and another board member said the town must get more involved with the roads. 1:26:48
    • A staff member said China has the lowest price point for travel. 1:29:10
  15. Executive session and vice principal posting 1:30:57
    • The next regular meeting was set for Wednesday, October 14th, 2026 at 6:00 PM. 1:31:24
    • The board moved to enter executive session at 7:31 PM to discuss a personnel issue. 1:31:38
    • A motion to post a special ed elementary school vice principal position carried, and the meeting adjourned at 8:07 PM. 1:32:12

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “BOE Meeting 9/9/26”