Student Advisory Council (SAC)
The School Advisory Council (SAC) for MVRHS is composed of the faculty, students, parents and community members. It advises and assists with the creation and implementation of the School Improvement Plan, conducts open discussions and makes recommendations related to school policy, culture and other matters.
It was created pursuant to statute in MA. – MA. General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 59C. The group meets on the first Thursday of each month from 12:10 – 12:55pm. Meetings are open to the public, who are invited to attend and participate in conversations regarding school-wide issues. If you would like to join, please reach out to Noelle Warburton.
Community Forums
The School Advisory Council (SAC) together with the leadership of MVRHS host Community Forums in which student members of SAC share and lead discussions on possible updates to our student handbook, and solicit feedback on other school-wide initiatives and work.
- March Community Forum
- April Community Forum
- May Community Forum (Details Coming Soon)
Handbook Considerations/Updates
During the 2023-2024 school year handbook considerations for the SAC and Community Forums include the Attendance Policy and two technology topics; 1 v 1 devices and Away for the Day.
Attendance
Attendance is a very important indicator of academic success, positive mental health and prosocial engagement.
While there are no changes to current policy, the language has been updated to clarify the process and highlight the priority of ensuring that students are in school as much as possible and for at least 85% of the time (a MA. general law threshold).
Here is the WHY:
Kids are Missing School at an Alarming Rate, The Daily
Handbook Consideration:
Click here for the updated Attendance Policy Language
Technology
The high school is looking to implement “Away for the Day” with regard to phones next year. This is an extension of our current rule which states that students hand phones in to teachers at the start of classes and flex time.
The “why” is incredibly important here. Asking students to go without phones for the duration of the school day is not simply an academic endeavor. Yes, phones are distractions in class, and it has been an incredible challenge to ensure that all 90 teachers collect phones at the start of each block of class time. And yes, years of research show a correlation between teen use of phones in schools and a decline in academic outcomes and engagement worldwide.
However, the team that looked into “Away for the Day” at MVRHS has spent more time discussing the need to reclaim high school as a social experience. We strongly believe — and research supports — that teens are happier when they are interacting with one another off screen. We yearn for loud hallways and boisterous lunch rooms again. We want students to continue to discuss classroom topics even after the bell rings. These moments are critical to the brain development that happens in childhood and adolescence. However useful phones are, access to them throughout the school day impacts healthy social and academic development. And healthy academic and social development is the core mission of schools.
Here is the WHY…
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari
- Podcasts: Hard Fork (NYTimes Audio) – starts at approx. 30min
- End the Phone-Based Childhood Now, by Jonathan Haidt, from the Atlantic
- The Screenagers Podcast
Handbook Considerations