Home and School Club Policy update - Soon after the Nov 19th SUESD meeting

• The School Board recently updated the Board Policy 1230, titled School Connected Organizations.
• Updating a policy traditionally triggers an update to the associated (AR) Administration Regulation.
• The Superintendent is responsible for creating and updating AR’s. The current practice does not promote a review of an AR before it is published. It just shows up on the District's website.
• School Connected Organizations must abide by the Policy and the AR if they want to be a "School Connected Organization."
• The wording of the Policy update was made such that it gave the Superintendent great latitude in writing the AR. The corresponding AR has not yet been updated (published)…BUT
• The Superintendent has made many statements as to what he intends to do.
• Some of the statements are as follows and are public record.
• “When you look at this new, this Policy update, what this Policy update is really pointing out, is that we as collective group, board members, on the board, looking at, is the impact of the community groups, being… is there equality of what they’re are doing, and it’s a big statement here, so we are going to be spending some time, all Home and School Clubs in the spring are going to come to the board for approval of activities, of what, ah, fundraisers they do, they will all go through the principal, they will be principal approved first, and they will come to the board, and the board will see exactly what is taking place, where that money is being used, and any allocations afterwards. These are all the responsibilities because of the updates that are occurring, because there is a bigger question is, is what is taking place at our schools, is there equability taking place at each school.”
• Hear the audio here.
• "There is inequity taking place, and it's eating at me."
• Hear the audio here.
• “We will look at targets of equity, and what’s that money going for.”
• “We are going to really designate why parents are giving and what the target is.”
• Hear the audio here.
• “The Principals are going to present to the Board what the home and school clubs and foundations are doing and the board is going to give approval. That’s going to be the AR.”
• Hear the audio here.
• While the home and school clubs most definitely desire to support their schools in equitable ways, there is hesitation in handing over approval of fundraising activities to “the Board” (of which Henry states he is a part of) and allowing the Board to “designate why parents are giving and what the target is.”
• The updated Administration Regulation 1230 (a) has not been published yet, but will be soon.

Hear the full 35 minute dialog of the November 19th meeting here. (Large file - 32Mb)