Winchester School Committee Directs Policy Subcommittee to Draft Safe Schools Immigration Policy

School Committee · Meeting of July 9, 2026

Winchester School Committee advances safe schools immigration policy and approves three district contracts. The committee directed its policy subcommittee, members Simone Bolanese and John Belair, to draft a high-level policy governing district response to federal immigration enforcement actions, following a memo from Belair citing Governor Maura Healey's May 2026 K-12 guidance and the pending state PROTECT Act. Four residents spoke in support during public comment, including Rebecca Sliz, executive director of the Network for Social Justice, and Lincoln Elementary fifth-grade teacher Cindy Revell, who said the Winchester Education Association representative council had already endorsed a draft safe school zones resolution "with enthusiasm." The committee voted 5-0 to extend the district's childcare contract with Kidsboro for five years, 4-0-1 to approve a five-year Chromebook hardware lease (Belair abstaining over concerns about a pending technology policy review), and 5-0 to continue year two of its food service agreement with Woodson's Nutrition.

Member Tom Hopcroft proposed adopting state guidance as a policy baseline, then layering Winchester-specific provisions on top, and said the committee need not wait for the PROTECT Act's final form to proceed.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report, 2,962 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of July 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.