The Board of Education believes that the goals and objectives of this District are best achieved by a diversity of learning experiences, including those that are not conducted in a regular classroom but are directly related to the curriculum.

The purpose of curricular-related activities shall be to enable students to explore a wider range of individual interests than may be available in the District's courses of study but are still directly related to accomplishing the educational outcomes for students as adopted by the Board in Policy 2131.

For purposes of this policy, curricular-related activities are defined as those activities in which:

No curricular-related activity shall be considered to be under the sponsorship of this Board unless it meets one or more of the criteria stated above and has been approved by the Superintendent.

Such activities, along with extra-curricular activities (not directly related to courses of study), may be conducted on or off school premises by clubs, associations, and organizations of students sponsored by the Board and directed by a staff advisor. The Board expressly declines to create a limited open forum for clubs and activities, initiated by students, that cannot meet one of the four criteria stated above.

Any student who has not made an acceptable score on all of the MEAP tests shall be ineligible to participate in any extra-curricular activity, including athletics. The Board believes a student who has not passed these tests should be using extra-curricular time to participate in one or more of the District's programs for assisting students to pass the tests. However, if a parent believes that his/her child may be unduly affected by lack of participation in a particular activity, s/he may come to the school and sign a waiver which will release the student from this eligibility rule and allow him/her to participate in the activity. The parent should be informed, prior to signing the waiver, a student cannot receive an endorsed high school diploma unless s/he has passed all of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests.

Students shall be fully informed of the curricular-related activities available to them and of the eligibility standards established for participation in these activities. District-sponsored activities shall be available to all students who elect to participate and who meet eligibility standards. Whenever a student becomes a member of a District-established student group or national organization such as the National Honor Society, in order to remain a member, s/he must continue to meet all of the eligibility criteria and abide by the principles and practices established by the group or the organization.

The Superintendent shall prepare administrative guidelines to implement a program of curricular-related clubs and activities. Such guidelines should ensure that the needs and interests of the students are properly assessed and procedures are established for continuing evaluation of each club and activity.

M.C.L.A. 380.1282, 380.1316
P.L. 98-377

Adopted 4/16/03