Hingham School Committee Approves Driver's Ed Fee Increase

Program quality and rising costs cited as reasons for the hike

HINGHAM, MA - August 26 - The Hingham School Committee voted August 26 to increase fees for the high school's driver's education program, citing rising costs and the program's high quality as reasons for the hike.

The committee approved raising the fee for classroom instruction and driving from $850 to $900 for Hingham residents. Non-resident fees will increase from $900 to $1,000. The driving-only fee will also see an increase from $575 to $650.

Shawn Nugent, a program instructor since 2015, presented an update on the driver's education program to the committee. He highlighted the program's quality and consistency as key factors setting it apart from other options.

"We have classroom teachers teaching the classroom. It's not just some random person who doesn't have that experience in terms of pedagogy," Nugent said. "It's different. And that part is, it's not just for profit, it's really for education."

The program offers after-school and Saturday sessions, with four summer sections running at capacity this year. Nugent emphasized the importance of balancing classroom instruction with driving hours.

"We try to keep them around 20 to 25 students," Nugent explained. "We have to be mindful of the driving hours part, because that's where we can start to get ourselves into a problem where we can get kids through a class, but then logistically, to try to get them through the driving hours, that's the part that we have to be mindful of."

The driver's education program includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and 18 hours of on-road training. Nugent highlighted the program's structured approach to on-road lessons.

"We actually have curriculum for the kids when they're on the road," he said. "We don't just drive randomly around Hingham. Like we actually have lessons that we do."

The program is considering expanding to cover nearby towns and potentially offer in-town testing, which could provide additional convenience and revenue.

The committee also heard updates on new teacher orientation and para-educator orientation programs introduced this year. Superintendent Katie Roberts reported on preparations for the upcoming school year, including building-based convocation activities and strategic planning efforts.

In other business, the committee reviewed several new and updated policies related to Title IX regulations. These policies aim to strengthen protections for students and staff against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Committee member Alyson Anderson explained that some of the policies are brand new, while others are being added back in after recent removal based on recommendations from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

"You'll notice there's a lot of redundancies," Anderson said. "The policies themselves are very detailed and very prescriptive." She noted that procedures are now being included in the policy handbook for redundancy and detail, contrary to normal guidelines.

The committee also discussed updates to protected class language in the policies. The non-discrimination policy now includes "sex stereotypes" and "sex characteristics" in its list of protected classes.

A question was raised about specific language in the policy regarding the definition of harassment. The committee is seeking clarification on whether the phrase "sufficiently severe and pervasive and objectively offensive conduct" should be changed to "sufficiently severe and pervasive or objectively offensive."

"We are putting this in here as MASC has recommended. We're following up with legal counsel just to make sure that this is, in fact, the correct language," Anderson said.

The committee will continue to review and discuss these policies at future meetings before final approval. The next Hingham School Committee meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m.