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Seabrook School District board meeting, Aug 18, 2026

3 h 03 min · 3 public speakers

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 3 h 03 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Seabrook school board ratifies hiring of special services director and music teacher 3:01:49

  • A district staff member told the board the district was projecting approximately $400,000 in unbudgeted special education costs, primarily for out-of-district placements. 28:54
  • A presenter described the firm's special education review work, and a speaker said a special meeting could be scheduled on the matter. 54:54
  • The board voted unanimously to adopt the updated Policy JICK, Bullying Prevention, Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention. 1:38:22
  • During public comment, a motion by Maria Brown for the board to meet with an individual and the board's attorney received no second and failed. 2:20:20

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Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and agenda order 0:00
    • Maria Brown asked for a motion to also place public comment at the beginning of the agenda for families who came to speak. 0:38
    • A speaker said public comment had been moved to the middle of the agenda so the board would not have to keep opening and closing it. 1:04
    • The motion received no second and failed, and public comment stayed at number 6 on the agenda. 2:57
  2. Approval of minutes 3:17
    • The board unanimously approved the June 9th regular meeting minutes. 3:25
    • One board member asked that the board retreat minutes be tabled, saying they were very vague and the video was still not available a week later. 3:44
    • A motion was made to approve the retreat minutes, and one board member said no because the minutes were not accurate. 6:15
  3. Administrative and principal reports 6:36
    • A staff member said the district was migrating from BoardDocs to eBoard and that a state legislative change affected the bullying policy. 7:48
    • A staff member said 19 of the 21 eligible students attended the 12-day extended school year program. 10:16
    • In response to Maria Brown, a staff member said the elementary music position was not yet filled and a nominated candidate was waiting to be released from a contract. 18:52
  4. Special services report and compliance 20:04
    • Maria Brown asked how the district would ensure every student with an IEP receives required services after earlier findings. 20:40
    • A staff member said the district had put a new documentation system in place and would train new staff on it. 21:53
    • A speaker suggested a monthly report to the board on IEPs reviewed, and a staff member called it a great idea. 23:44
  5. Item 27:32
    • A staff member said none of the 3 students being placed out of district were from the NET program and that the special education trust fund held roughly $430,000. 31:11
    • The staff member said the district had implemented district-wide spending restrictions limited to essential items. 46:42
    • Maria Brown asked whether the district could bill private insurance and asked for an explanation in writing. 50:01
  6. External special education review presentation 53:10
    • Casey Hashem said the board had asked for information on outside support for the special education program and introduced a presenter from Strategic Collaboration Training Systems. 53:17
    • Asked about cost, the presenter said more information would be needed directly from the district. 58:59
    • A speaker said a special meeting could be scheduled and asked each board member to have some idea in the meantime of what they were looking for. 1:15:14
  7. Exit interviews 1:15:58
    • Maria Brown asked board members whether they would again offer exit interviews with departing staff, citing staff retention. 1:16:05
    • A staff member said every staff member who leaves is offered an exit interview through HR. 1:20:09
  8. Board retreat follow-up and mission statement 1:21:14
    • One board member said it would be good to have all 5 board members together before adopting a mission statement. 1:27:54
    • A speaker read sample mission statements and said the values the board discussed and agreed on were growth, responsibility, integrity, community and trust. 1:29:03
    • Michele Knowles moved to adopt option 1 as the board's mission statement. 1:31:12
    • After a vote, a speaker announced the board would go with option 1. ~1:31:23
  9. Annual audit governance questionnaire 1:31:32
    • A staff member said the auditors asked the board to complete an annual governance questionnaire that the chair would sign on the board's behalf. 1:31:41
    • A staff member said the item did not require a motion. ~1:32:55
  10. Extracurricular stipend committee recommendation 1:32:58
    • A staff member said the committee recommended removing the wrestling stipend of $2,053 and increasing the flex activities stipend by $2,053. 1:33:05
    • Casey Hashem moved to accept the committee recommendation. 1:36:24
    • The motion passed unanimously. 1:36:36
  11. Bullying policy update 1:36:38
    • A staff member said a change in state law on bullying complaint investigations required updating the policy and asked the board to waive Policy BGAA and adopt the updated policy. 1:36:43
    • A staff member said cases across state lines would go to the Attorney General. 1:37:53
    • The board unanimously waived the policy and adopted Policy JICK. 1:38:22
  12. Student and parent handbooks 1:38:34
    • Motions were made to accept the SES and SMS 2026⁠-⁠27 student and parent handbooks. 1:38:53
    • The SMS handbook was approved unanimously. 1:39:19
  13. Promising Futures Grant application 1:39:19
    • A staff member said the grant of up to $25,000 supports family engagement and requires no matching funds. 1:39:31
    • Michele Knowles moved to approve the grant application. 1:40:51
    • The motion passed unanimously. 1:41:01
  14. Public comment 1:41:01
    • Several speakers at public comment raised concerns about special education evaluation timelines and IEP meetings and asked the board to provide oversight. 1:42:03
    • A speaker said the board had been advised by its attorney not to hold private meetings with parents, students or staff. 2:19:24
    • Maria Brown moved for the board to meet with a parent who spoke and the board's attorney on matters other than special education. 2:20:20
    • The motion received no second and failed. 2:20:46
  15. Personnel, non-public session and hirings 2:36:54
    • The board voted unanimously to accept a resignation effective June 30th, 2026. 2:37:25
    • A speaker said the next school board meeting is Tuesday, September 15th at 4:30. 2:38:58
    • The board entered non-public session at 7:10 PM and resumed the public meeting at 7:31. 2:39:23

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

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Video: posted by the district as “Seabrook NH August 18th, 2026 School Board Meeting”