Committee splits 4-3 on absence policy

School Committee · Meeting of August 25, 2026

WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield School Committee voted 4-3 to strip a stricter attendance policy from this year's handbooks. Members Thomas Markham, Kevin Piskadlo and Stephen Ingalls voted to keep an administration proposal cutting the unexcused-absence threshold from eight to five days per quarter before an automatic failing grade; four other members voted it out, keeping the eight-day standard in place. Superintendent Douglas Lyons said the eight-day rule affected 22 students last year, with seven ultimately failing a course for the year, and cited a 94.3 percent high school attendance rate.

Member Peter Davis said the automatic failing grade left "zero chance of any redemption." Vice Chair Ingalls countered that "somebody needs to draw a line in the sand somewhere." The committee also accepted a $2,044.75 memorial-bench gift from Galvin Middle School staff and tabled four policies, including a restraint-and-seclusion update, for a September 8 vote.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
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Source: the School Committee meeting of August 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.