Ward said the first area to be studied should be the code of conduct of all four schools in the district.

"If you look at the table of contents for all four school handbooks and the athletic handbook, each one treats the code of conduct differently," she said. "We should look at the Department of Education's standards for what the code should include."

Ward next discussed a family compact and honor code.

"I've noticed that each of the handbooks has its own honor code. Should we combine them in some way? Also should this address both academic behavior and non-academic behavior?"

School committee policies were the third area Ward touched on. She said the Chandler School's handbook had a separate section on yellow paper located in the middle of its handbook outlining these policies. Ward recommended all school handbooks treat school committee policy that way.

Ward then delved deeper into formatting of the handbooks. She said each of the handbooks should have the same format for a master section, which would include the district's mission statement, the memorandum of understanding, transportation policies and a glossary of terms.

"Include the information that applies to all of the schools across the board," Ward said.

Each school could then include specific information about its building in its respective handbook. Ward said this information would include a dress code and contact information for the particular school and its staff. Ward added that school secretary and webmaster Ruth Ann Metcalf had designed a two-column format for the handbooks.

"You can do a lot with formatting to make this information readable and clear," Ward said.

School Committee Chairman George Cipolletti agreed with Ward's assessment.

"It is discouraging to look to open up these books if you have a question, especially when you're under duress," he said.

School Committee Vice Chairwoman Karen Wong added that the current school handbooks have sections that talk about co-curricular activities and the code of conduct as well as having a separate handbook on athletics.

"There's a lot of information there. I would love to see a chart that gives you bullets about each that talks about athletic violations and co-curricular violations. This would be something you could look at quickly and get all of that information," Wong said.

Ward also said she would like to see a signed statement turned in by parents and students that the handbook had been read. Superintendent Eileen Williams said that scenario was tried several years ago and that administrators found it was hard to get high school students to return signed contracts.

Wong asked if all of the school councils could get together to agree on the same general lay out. Williams said that by law, each school council works for its respective school, not the school system as a whole.

"They have the autonomy to make their own decisions," she said.

School committee member John Heinstadt asked for clarification between the role of the school committee and the role of the student councils.

"If we recommend 'A' and the school councils recommend the exact opposite, who wins? he asked.

School Attorney Bob Fraser said the school committee's policy function is laid out in a statute. He said each of the school councils is working with its particular school principal.

"If building 'A' says no hats in school the school council and the principal of that school can enforce this. However, what is established at the individual school level cannot contradict or lessen the school committee requirements and district-wide policy," Fraser said.

Cipolletti then asked if there was an absence of school committee and district-wide policy could the school councils then create policy.

"As a practical matter, the specifics have been laid out by state or case law," Fraser said citing that civil rights and special education violations are examples of areas in which further policy cannot be created.

Williams added that there are also mandated policies, like expulsion from school if a firearm is brought on school grounds.

"The school councils are only seeking direction and information from the school committee," she said.

School committee member John Magnarelli said he appreciated Ward's list of revisions, but felt she should submit the list as an individual not as the collective opinion of the school committee.

"I commend Anne for doing a lot of work, but I can't endorse this as a body tonight," he said. "It's good stuff and Anne should turn it in as an individual or as a member of the school committee."

Ward said she had only brought up her revisions to begin a discussion and generate feedback from the committee. Williams then shared a letter she had written to Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Deputy Director William Gaine with questions regarding the handbooks citing specific examples from the school committee's last meeting in which a student/athlete case was brought before the committee for an appeal.

Several of Gaine's responses troubled audience and school committee members. Most notable was Gaine's definition of "possession." Heinstadt said Gaine's response did not clarify if possession meant actually holding an illegal substance in your hand or knowing the substance was in the your presence.

"I don't want to get into the specifics of this case, but this contradicts what is in our handbooks and the guide to the administration with this response written in this letter," Heinstadt said. "Mr. Gaine needs to clarify the MIAA's position�at least go back and have him explain the difference between his response versus the MIAA policy."

"The written instructions are confusing and the letter didn't help," Cipolletti said. "I believe it's our collective opinion that it be clarified so that we know exactly what MIAA requires so we have no more issues that are open to interpretation."