The School Board of Collier County
Bylaws & Policies
 

9700 - RELATIONS WITH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

Any request from civic institutions, charitable organizations, or special interest groups which involve such activities as patriotic functions, contests, exhibits, sales of products to and by students, sending promotional materials home with students, graduation prizes, fund raising, and free teaching materials must be carefully reviewed to ensure that such activities are not disruptive to the District’s educational mission.

It is the policy of the School Board that students, staff members, and District facilities not be used for promoting the interests of any nonschool agency or organization, public or private, except as expressly allowed below, and in any event shall not be construed as an endorsement or disapproval of said cause or group by this Board.
 

A.

Education Materials and Programs
     
   

All materials or activities proposed by outside political sources for student or staff use or participation shall be reviewed by the Superintendent on the basis of their educational contribution to part or all of the school program, benefit to students, and no such approval shall have the primary purpose of advancing the special interest of the proposing group.
     
   

The Board shall permit the use of educational materials, programs, and equipment which contains commercial messages providing the content of such messages and the manner of presentation has been approved by the Superintendent and is in compliance with the District's administrative procedures.
     
   

In addition, the Board shall permit school organizations and/or school-affiliated groups to use or lease space in District facilities, on District property, or in District publications for the express purpose of advertising the products or services of a commercial organization, providing the content of such advertisements and the manner of their presentation has been approved by the Superintendent and is in compliance with the District's administrative procedures.
     
   

Outside speakers representing commercial organizations will be welcome only when the commercial aspect is limited to naming the organization represented and the subject matter advances the educational aims of the District.
 

B.

Contests/Exhibits
     
   

The Board recognizes that contests, exhibits, and the like may benefit individual students or the District as a whole, but participation in such special activities may not:
     
 

1.

have the primary effect of advancing a special product, group, or company;
   

2.

make unreasonable demands upon the time and energies of staff or students or upon the resources of the District;
   

3.

involve any direct cost to the District;
   

4.

interrupt the regular school program;
   

5.

cause the participants to leave the School District, unless:
   
 

a.

the Board's Policy 2340 - Field and Other District-Sponsored Trips - has been complied with in all aspects;
   

b.

the parents of a minor student have granted their permission.
     
 

C.

Distribution/Posting of Notices
     
   

The District has established, through this policy, a limited flyer forum for publicizing notices of events and activities submitted by members of the community that are age appropriate to District students. These notices, in the form of flyers, shall be posted on the District’s website. The purpose of the forum is not to permit all organizations to use it as a forum for free speech. The flyers submitted must be consistent with the educational mission and purpose of the District and shall be so reviewed before being placed on the website. The District reserves the right to close the forum at anytime in its best interests.
     
   

A bulletin board forum is hereby also established to permit the posting of informational materials consistent with negotiated collective bargaining agreements.
   

In addition, the District shall open a table forum one (1) day per year, typically on January 16th, which is annually proclaimed by the President and celebrated as religious freedom day, unless otherwise agreed to by interested parties, for the purpose of distributing materials celebrating the freedom and diversity of religious thought or belief or lack thereof, in District high schools. The forum shall be open for a time period and in a location within the particular high school in accordance with the administrative procedures that shall attend to this policy.
     
   

No outside organization or staff member or student representing an outside organization may personally distribute or personal post literature on that organization's behalf on District property, unless otherwise required by general law, part of career counseling program, or part of a school organized program expressly set a side for purposes of allowing outside groups to make presentations of specific content, topics, or subjects. The Superintendent is granted authority to determine what content, subjects, or topics are appropriate, and to determine the time place and manner of such programs.
     
   

The Superintendent shall establish administrative procedures which shall cover the policy provisions below.
     
 

1.

Criteria established in Policy 5722 - Student Publications and Productions - are used to make a decision regarding materials that students seek to post or distribute;
   

2.

Distribution or posting of materials employees wish to distribute on behalf of an employee organization comply with the terms of negotiated collective bargaining agreements;
   

3.

The District or the school mail system is not used by the community, students, or staff for distribution of nonschool-related materials;
   

4.

Notices from outside organizations may be made available for students, under the following circumstances:
   
 

a.

the notice publicizes a specific community activity or event that is age-appropriate for the students that are invited;
 

b.

the organization submits an electronic version of the document and the request form to the District on or before the 15th of each month for posting in the subsequent month;
   

c.

the organization's request has been approved by the Community Request Committee.
     

5.

Notices will be posted for one calendar month only and then shall be removed from the website.
   

6.

Notices may be no larger than 8 1/2" x 11" and may consist of no more than two (2) pages.
   

7.

All requests to post notices shall be disapproved if the material:
   
 

a.

is libelous, invades the privacy of others, infringes on a copyright or is in any way prohibited by state or federal law.
   

b.

is obscene, pornographic or lewd, vulgar or indecent.
   

c.

primarily seeks to advertise for sale, the products or services of outside businesses.
   

d.

endorses a particular candidate for public office, other than a candidate for student elective office.
   

e.

promotes alcohol, tobacco, drugs or other illegal activity.
   

f.

is likely to cause substantial disruption to or materially interfere with the proper and orderly operation of the school and its activities.
   

g.

is harmful to general health, safety, and welfare of students or employees.
     

8.

The Community Request Committee shall review all requests to distribute or post notices and make a recommendation to the Superintendent.
 

9.

The Superintendent has the authority to make the final decision on any appeals.
     
 

D.

Solicitation of Funds
     
   

Any outside organization or staff member representing an outside organization desiring to solicit funds on school property must receive permission to do so from the Superintendent.
     
   

Permission to solicit funds will be granted only to those organizations or individuals who meet the permission criteria established in the District's administrative procedures. Solicitation must take place at such times and places and in such a manner as specified in the administrative procedures. In accordance with Board Policy 5830, no District student may participate in the solicitation without the Superintendent's approval.
     
 

1.

The Board disclaims all responsibility for the protection of, or accounting for, such funds.
   

2.

Solicited funds are not to be deposited in any regular or special accounts of the District.
   

3.

A copy of this policy as well as the relevant administrative procedures shall be given to any individual granted permission to solicit funds on District property.
   

4.

This policy does not apply to the raising of funds for District-sponsored or school-sponsored activities.
     
 

E.

Prizes/Scholarship
     
   

The Board is appreciative of the generosity of organizations which offer scholarships or prizes to deserving students in this District. But, in accepting the offer of such scholarships or prizes, the Board directs that these procedures be observed:
     
 

1.

No information either academic or personal shall be released from the student's record for the purpose of selecting a scholarship or prize winner without the permission of the student who is eighteen (18), or the parents of a student who is younger in accordance with the Board's policy on student records.
 

2.

The type of scholarship or prize, the criteria for selection of the winner, and any restrictions upon it shall be approved by the Superintendent.
   

3.

The principal, together with a committee of staff members designated by the principal, may be involved in the selection of the recipient and, if agreeable to the sponsoring organization, the selection shall be left entirely to the principal and staff committee.
     
 

F.

Sale of School Supplies
     
   

In determining the appropriateness of the sale of school supplies by organizations other than the School District, the Board requires that:
     
 

1.

the organization have a purpose which will benefit the School District and its students;
   

2.

the organization's planned activities are clearly in the best interest of the School District and its students;
   

3.

the organization has submitted the following information and assurances on the form provided by the District: a statement noting the purpose of the organization, financial accountability assurances, and use of facility assurances.

   

All funds generated by the sale of such school supplies shall be kept separate from other activity funds or other transactions of the Board.
     
 

G.

Surveys and Questionnaires
     
   

Neither District-related nor non-district-related organizations shall be allowed to administer a survey or questionnaire to students or staff unless the instrument and the proposed plan is submitted, in advance, to the Superintendent. If approved, a copy of the results and the proposed manner of their communication are to be provided to him/her for review and approval before they are released.
   

Students shall not be required to complete surveys to provide marketing information to vendors, or distribute to vendors any personal information of students, including but not limited to names, addresses, and telephone numbers, except as may be required by law. In addition, the District shall not enter into any contract for products or services, including electronic media services, where personal information will be collected from students by the providers of the services.
     
   

See also Policy 2416 and AP 2416.

F.S. 1013.10

Revised 10/15/09
Revised 11/18/10
Revised 11/15/11

© Neola 2007