The Legislative & Contract Subcommittee reviewed proposed revisions to the districts pledge-of-allegiance and flag-display policies and agreed to forward amended language to the full school committee.

Attorneys and members discussed three issues: how to reflect the voluntary nature of reciting the pledge, whether instructional or historical language belongs in policy, and who may order lowering the flag. Members agreed existing law makes pledge participation voluntary and that local policy should avoid language that could be read as mandatory.

On flag lowering, members noted the governor or the president customarily orders flags lowered for national observances and tragedies. The subcommittee agreed to remove the local authority language and to instead follow state/federal direction. Members also asked that the policy explicitly state the school committee will provide a U.S. flag for each school building so schools lacking flags would be supplied.

"The school committee shall provide for each schoolhouse under its control a United States flag," a member noted while discussing statutory language. The committee removed the locally phrased flag-lowering provision and agreed to align the policy with state practice.

A motion to recommend the revised policy, with the amendment striking the local lowering language and adding an explicit provision that the school committee will provide flags to schoolhouses, passed in subcommittee and will be presented to the full school committee for final action.

Ending: The subcommittee asked staff to confirm statutory references, ensure district inventory of flags, and circulate the amended language to the full committee for review.