Carver School Committee Adopts AI Policy, Approves Supreme Court Opt-Out Handbook Language

CARVER -- August 18, 2025, Carver School Committee adopts AI policy and adds Supreme Court opt-out language to student handbooks on the eve of the new school year. The committee voted unanimously to waive the second reading and immediately approve policy IJNDC-E on artificial intelligence, developed over roughly nine months by a teacher-administrator team and reviewed by district counsel, in order to incorporate it into handbooks before the August 27 first day of school. In a separate unanimous vote, the committee added language to both the elementary and middle high school handbooks responding to the U.S. Supreme Court's July 27 ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which established parental rights to notice and accommodation requests when curriculum content conflicts with sincerely held religious beliefs. The committee also approved roughly $800,000 in level-funded federal grant appropriations for FY26, affirmed student activity account balances of $136,386.67 at the middle high school and $11,021.64 at the elementary school, and created a new student activity account for the Class of 2029 with a $500 starting balance. Director of Finance Ron presented a preview of a cafeteria renovation at Carver Middle High School, funded entirely through accumulated USDA food-service reimbursements already on hand, with custom furniture expected to be delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2025. Superintendent Scott Neef walked the committee through a DESE targeted district review, noting strengths including the Pathways program's rigorous learning opportunities and effective attendance strategies, alongside recommendations to strengthen tiered interventions at the middle-high level and improve the timeliness of grade entry in the Aspen student information system.