A proposed music festival at the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks ballpark got a preliminary but unanimous thumbs-up this week from the regional high school committee, owner of the park on school property in Oak Bluffs.

Sharks manager Russ Curran said the Sept. 13 festival would be a fund-raiser to benefit programs for veterans at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, which recently lost a $78,000 annual contract with the federal department of veterans affairs.

“We want to help them out and raise money for the veterans outreach,” Mr. Curran told the school committee Monday evening.

High school principal Sara Dingledy spoke in favor of the proposal.

“I really support the cause, [and] it wouldn’t interfere with the school year starting,” she said. 

Island students return to school this year on Sept. 2, the day after Labor Day.

Robert Tankard, who works in veterans outreach for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, told the high school committee that in addition to the readjustment counseling for combat vets, which had been funded by the VA for nearly 40 years, Island veterans need other services as well.

“We’ve raised funds for our veterans throughout the course of the year [for] transportation, medical, all the various things that they would need,” he said.

Housing remains a priority, Mr. Tankard added, noting that about 30 vets have applied for the 12 apartments at an Island Housing Trust complex for veterans in Oak Bluffs, which is expected to open a year from now.

Mr. Curran said the benefit concert in September would feature Island bands performing on a stage at home plate, with audience members seated on the ballfield.

“It’s going to be local artists that [we’ve] already spoken to about coming out to do live music at the Shark Tank to raise money for the vets program,” he said.

School committee members warmed to the concept, but said they want to see completed applications for the use of the ballpark and for concession sales during the festival.

A non-binding vote proved unanimous in favor of encouraging Mr. Curran and Mr. Tankard to return to the committee with completed applications, although chair Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter warned that he would not support alcohol sales during the event.

Also Monday, Ms. Dingledy advised the committee of upcoming changes in the student handbook, which she said will come under review at an upcoming meeting.

One of the proposed updates would raise the passing grade for mathematics classes from 60 to 65, she said.

“We’ve been looking a lot at trying to raise expectations,” Ms Dingledy said, adding that students who pass a sequential class, for instance Algebra I, with a grade of 60 are at risk of falling short when they reach Algebra II.

“We did some data dives and don’t think that this is going to affect an enormous group [of students],” she said.

The next handbook also will have new graduation requirements, replacing the now-optional MCAS, and a policy on the use of artificial intelligence, Ms. Dingledy said.

The Away For the Day policy, which bans student cell phone use during the school day, will continue after a successful first year, she said.

“We’ve been really proud of the success and the cultural shifts that Away For the Day has made, so we’re looking to maintain that in the handbook,” Ms. Dingledy said. “The feedback from teachers and from leadership and even from students is that the shifts have been positive.”