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.