WESTBROOK – As Westbrook students prepare to return to school Sept. 1, the School Committee is being asked to consider adding a new anti-sexting policy and restoring a second Westbrook High School assistant principal position that was cut this spring for budget reasons.

Both proposals were due to come before school board subcommittees on Wednesday evening, after the American Journal’s deadline.

If Westbrook adopts an anti-sexting policy, it could become the first school district in the state to do so. The Maine School Management Association is not currently aware of other districts with such a policy, according to Executive Director Dale Douglass.

Sexting in the proposed policy is defined as the sending, receiving, possessing or viewing of sexually explicit images or messages via electronic devices such as cell phones or computers.

Sexting by students is reportedly on the increase around the nation. School Superintendent Reza Namin said there’s no reason to believe the problem is greater in Westbrook than anywhere else. However, he said, “I just think Westbrook needs to be one step ahead and proactive. With technology comes accountability.”

The proposal was slated to be discussed Wednesday evening by the school board’s Policy Subcommittee.

It was not clear when such a policy might eventually receive School Committee approval.

School Committee Chairman Ed Symbol said Wednesday morning that the school board already has been grappling for some time now with a revised anti-bullying policy. He said the board is unsure “how far-reaching” beyond school doors such a bullying policy should be, and he said that also could be an issue for a sexting policy.

“I’m not sure how far reaching we want to get into monitoring (students’) home life,” Symbol said.

As proposed, the sexting policy would apply not only during school hours and at school activities on and off campus, but also “beyond the hours of school operation if the behavior detrimentally affects the personal safety or well being of school-related individuals or disrupts the learning environment.”

Symbol also expressed reservations about the proposal to hire a second assistant principal/dean of curriculum position at the high school. One of the two high school assistant principal jobs was eliminated this spring as part of a major restructuring of administrative staff to bring in a new 2010-2011 school budget with no tax increase.

The changes include having high school Principal Marc Gousse also be the principal of Westbrook Middle School. Former high school Assistant Principal Howard Jack was renamed dean of students at the high school and will have a slightly different role. The other assistant principal formerly at the high school, Matt Nelson, is the new dean of curriculum at the middle school.

But, Namin said that he is now proposing the possibility of restoring one of the high school assistant administrators.

He said the school department realized about $96,000 in savings this summer from staff turnover. Some teachers retired or resigned, and in some cases the new staff hired have lower salaries, superintendent said.

The proposal was go to the school board’s Educational Programs Committee on Wednesday. Namin said that if that committee wants to pursue the proposal, it would go to the full School Committee on Sept. 8.

However, Symbol said, “I don’t know if (adding a new high school administrator) makes sense to do right now.”

He said the school year is just beginning so no one knows what budgetary needs are out there. Symbol said it may be best “to stay the course with the changes we made.”

Namin has said that the duties of the former second assistant principal could be covered by other staff.

The School Committee voted earlier this month to add an extra first grade teacher at Saccarappa Elementary School to reduce class sizes from 23 to 19. A class size reduction grant will pay for that teacher.

Namin, who is at the start of his second year leading the Westbrook schools, said he is excited as a new year of student learning approaches.

“This year the key word is transformation, transformation to a higher level of expectation and better schools and improved student achievement under very difficult budget decisions,” Namin said.

He said that about 50 Westbrook teachers and school leaders in the past year have enhanced their teaching skills by participating in online professional development courses through Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.