Maynard School Committee Adopts New Graduation Standards, Hears Green Meadow Safety Alarms

MAYNARD -- February 6, 2025, Maynard School Committee votes unanimously to drop MCAS as a graduation requirement for the classes of 2025 and 2026. The five-member board approved a district-determined competency framework proposed by Maynard High School Principal Liz York, requiring students to pass English 1 and 2, Algebra 1 and Geometry, and a lab science in place of the state exam. The vote came amid a lengthy public comment session in which residents Jennifer Barry and Kristen Ferrero raised concerns about radon readings above the EPA action level in kindergarten classrooms, asbestos disturbance from ceiling leaks, and recurring brown water at Green Meadow Elementary School. Superintendent Brian Hos said three classrooms now have exhaust fan ventilation systems installed and an HVAC contractor was to assess aging univents the following morning, with a public FAQ and full radon timeline memo promised by day's end Friday. The committee also accepted warrants 2538, 2539, and 2540 and approved its 2025-2026 meeting calendar, with a joint budget workshop with the Finance Committee and Select Board set for Saturday, February 8, and a potential Proposition 2.5 override question facing a late-February decision deadline.