Lexington's Policy Subcommittee added immigration enforcement and hate-and-bias reviews to its Sept. 17 meeting agenda.

The revised agenda, posted Thursday, Sept. 10, adds two items that did not appear on the original version or on any prior subcommittee agenda this summer. One directs the panel to review the PROTECT Act, the state law barring warrantless immigration arrests on school grounds. The other calls for Superintendent Julie Hackett to present information on "Policy & Procedures on Preventing & Responding to Hate, Bias & Identity."

Neither item appeared on the subcommittee's Aug. 20 or Sept. 1 agendas, which focused on routine policy-section reviews.

What the PROTECT Act requires

Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act on Aug. 5, as Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reported. The law prohibits warrantless civil immigration arrests at public schools, child care centers, courthouses and health care facilities. It also requires schools to adopt policies governing interactions with civil law enforcement.

The state released model policies for districts ahead of the school year, with a Sept. 1 compliance deadline (or the first day of the 2026-27 school year, whichever came earlier). That deadline has passed. The agenda does not specify whether Lexington has already adopted a policy or is still drafting one.

Hate and bias context

The hate/bias agenda item arrives after a string of incidents in Lexington schools. In December 2025, a custodian at William Diamond Middle School found antisemitic neo-Nazi graffiti and a racist anti-Black epithet in a boys' bathroom stall, as the Lexington Observer reported. Hackett notified the School Committee and Lexington's Human Rights Committee.

That incident prompted an antisemitism education presentation at Diamond, which itself drew backlash. In June 2026, CAMERA, a media-monitoring organization, urged the district to establish "a clear and unified process for reporting and responding to hate and bias incidents."

As we reported Sept. 9, Lexington schools have been broadening their anti-hate response after a pattern of graffiti incidents.

The neighboring Concord-Carlisle district is wrestling with similar questions. At a July 9 Climate and Culture Working Group meeting, School Committee member Michelle MacDougall asked whether the district produces an annual report from its bias and hate reporting tool. Superintendent Laurie Hunter said the district has had many conversations on the topic but has not yet settled on an approach.

What's not yet clear

The agenda does not describe whether Hackett will present an existing policy, a new draft or a set of recommendations. The scope of the hate/bias/identity review and its relationship to the PROTECT Act discussion are not spelled out.

The subcommittee meets at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Rd. in Lexington.