Committee adopts handbook changes, phone app on hold

School Committee · Meeting of September 23, 2026

Ashland's School Committee approved AHS Handbook updates and $153,000 in school choice funding but held off voting on a proposed cell phone-blocking app pilot after a member raised cybersecurity concerns. Principal Kelly said the Doorman app, costing about $4,400 and funded partly by a Metro West Adolescent Health grant, would lock phones during class using tap-in cards synced to PowerSchool attendance. A committee member who works in cybersecurity pressed administrators on the app's VPN connection, citing an Anthropic AI model he called "Mythos" that can rapidly exploit software vulnerabilities, asking, "Have they done any of that work before we're asking people to do it?" The committee also unanimously approved five nutrition menu price increases, including a 50-cent adult breakfast hike to $2, adopted immunization and artificial-intelligence policy updates, and approved a $200,000-plus grant to pilot state literacy programming on a 5-0 consent-agenda vote.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,324 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of September 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.