Cohasset School Committee Unanimously Approves New Five-Year Strategic Plan

COHASSET -- May 21, 2025, Cohasset School Committee approves a five-year strategic plan and hears a cell phone task force recommendation favoring a school-day ban. The committee, meeting with only three of five members present, Chair Craig McClellan, Jennifer Lesky, and newly seated member Corey Evans, voted 3-0 to adopt the 2025-2030 Cohasset Public Schools Strategic Plan, organized around four priorities: teaching and learning, student wellness, community engagement, and resources. Superintendent Sarah Shannon, who led the planning process alongside a group that included teachers, parents, and students, framed the plan's core mission as "we place students first." Sophomore student representative Gabby Madden told the committee that achievement pressure at the high school "sometimes can be too much," citing sleep deprivation and anxiety tied to the grade-tracking platform Aspen. High School Principal Brian Scott reported that a spring pilot restricting all cell phone use produced anecdotal gains in student social interaction, and Evans, in his first meeting, pushed for a full ban: "fully restrictive phone policy puts students first." No vote on cell phones was taken; McClellan said a multi-stage public process will precede any decision. Finance Director Susan Owen reported the district's operating budget shortfall has dropped from $953,920 to $704,986, with a balanced year-end result expected.