Reported by us | Fall River

Fall River School Committee adopts PROTECT Act policy and a rule that the superintendent notify every member directly

A second policy, adopted under the new state PROTECT Act, directs the superintendent to set procedures for the law's ban on civil arrests, including immigration arrests, at schools during school hours and school events without a judicial warrant or order.

By the SC360 Schools Desk | Published Oct. 28, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 28, 2026, 8:35 a.m. ET

FALL RIVER Fall River's superintendent must now notify every School Committee member directly about school safety incidents, lawsuits, government investigations and other significant matters, and make reasonable efforts to do so before the news becomes public, under a policy the committee approved this month.

The policy, which comes word for word from a model a Massachusetts group offers school committees, says that notice "shall not go through any intermediary, including the School Committee Chairperson." In Fall River the chairperson is the mayor, and the committee's member page lists Mayor Paul Coogan as chairperson of the seven-member board.

The committee also adopted a policy under the new state PROTECT Act on Oct. 7. The policy restates the law: civil arrests, including federal immigration arrests, are not allowed on school grounds during school hours, drop-off and pick-up, before- and after-school programs and school-sponsored events without a judicial warrant or judicial order, except as state or federal law requires or as needed to run a state or federally funded program. Both policies are now posted on the district's policies page.

What the superintendent must report

The communications policy lists the matters that call for timely notice to the committee:

• Incidents: significant student or employee incidents that may draw substantial public attention, and school safety or security incidents.
• Legal matters: actual or threatened litigation involving the district, and investigations, inquiries or enforcement actions by state, federal or local agencies.
• Violations and money: significant violations of law, regulation or district policy, and material financial issues affecting the budget or the district's liabilities.
• Public attention: matters likely to bring substantial media coverage or significant community concern or controversy.
• Votes and other matters: matters that need a committee vote, and anything else that may materially affect the district's operations, finances, legal interests or public reputation.

Notice can come in writing to all members, in reports at meetings, in executive session when the law allows it, or by other appropriate means. The policy does not require releasing anything confidential under state or federal law, covered by attorney-client privilege or exempt under the Public Records Law. It leaves the timing and content to the superintendent's professional judgment, "recognizing that advance notice may not always be possible in emergency situations," and it encourages members to bring significant concerns or complaints they hear to the superintendent.

How it reached a vote

The Policy Subcommittee, chaired by member Collin Dias, listed the communications policy for discussion and a vote to refer it to the full committee at its Sept. 30 meeting. That agenda linked to a model policy the Massachusetts Education Resource Center, an Acton group that offers model policies and training to school committee members, posted in June. The policy Fall River posted matches the model word for word.

The full committee's agenda for its Oct. 7 meeting at Kuss Middle School, which also carried a strategic planning update from Interim Superintendent Kathleen Smith, listed the policy for discussion and a vote to approve.

The committee appointed Smith interim superintendent on April 1, with a May 1 start, the district announced in April. Who runs South Coast schools this year

The PROTECT Act policy

Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act on Aug. 5, and the governor's office, the Executive Office of Education and the state education department issued guidance for schools on Aug. 21, according to the model policy the department posted for school committees. The law requires each district to have a written emergency response plan, and the policy says that once adopted, it and its procedures are that plan.

Fall River's version, which notes it was adapted by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees from the state model, directs the superintendent to set procedures that:

• Contacts: name a senior administrator in the central office and at each school as the contact for officers engaged in civil law enforcement, and set out how to reach the district's lawyer.
• Records: document every interaction with those officers on school grounds.
• Families: notify a parent or guardian, or a student who is 18 or emancipated, if an officer asks for access to a student or a student's information, and notify families and staff once officers are confirmed on school grounds.
• Emergency contacts: confirm and update students' emergency contacts, with room for more than one person, and alternative caregiver plans.
• Sharing: post the procedures for students and families on the district's website.

The state education department, working with the Office of Refugees and Immigrants and the attorney general's office, will release a model training on the procedures, the policy says.

How to reach the district

The Fall River Public Schools central office is at 417 Rock St., 508-675-8420. School Committee members' district email addresses are listed on the committee's meeting portal, where agendas and minutes are posted.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact comes from the Fall River Public Schools' posted communications and PROTECT Act policies, the Fall River School Committee's Oct. 7 and Sept. 30 agendas and member page, the Massachusetts Education Resource Center's model policy and the state education department's PROTECT Act model policy. We read them on Oct. 28. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (10)

1. Fall River Public Schools: School Committee-Superintendent Communications Policy (marked approved by FRSC 10.8.2026)First seen by our monitor Oct. 27, 2026. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
2. Fall River Public Schools: Interacting with Law Enforcement Officers Engaged in Civil Law Enforcement (PROTECT Act), adopted by FRSC Oct. 7, 2026Read Oct. 28, 2026.
3. Fall River School Committee: Regular meeting agenda, Oct. 7, 2026 (second revised agenda, posted Oct. 6)Read Oct. 28, 2026.
4. Fall River School Committee: Policy Subcommittee agenda, Sept. 30, 2026Read Oct. 28, 2026.
5. Fall River School Committee: members pageRead Oct. 28, 2026.
6. Massachusetts Education Resource Center: model policy, School Committee-Superintendent Communications (posted June 15, 2026)Read Oct. 28, 2026.
7. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: PROTECT Act Model Policy, English (Word document; gives the Aug. 5 signing and the Aug. 21 guidance)Read Oct. 28, 2026.
8. Fall River Public Schools: home page (central office address and phone); its April 2, 2026, news item on Smith's appointment, saved Oct. 19Read Oct. 28, 2026.
9. Fall River Public Schools: Superintendent's Corner (Kathleen Smith, interim superintendent of schools)Read Oct. 28, 2026.
10. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: PROTECT Act Model Policy (page last updated Aug. 27, 2026)Read Oct. 28, 2026.

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