West Clermont Local School District
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 promote student interests.

It is the policy of the Board of Education that students, staff members, and District facilities not be used for promoting the interests of any nonschool agency or organization, public or private, without the approval of the Board or its designee; and any such approval, granted for whatever cause or group, shall not be construed as an endorsement of said cause or group by this Board.

 

A.

Political Interests

 
 

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 not permit the use of any type of educational material, program, or equipment in its curricular, co-curricular, or extra-curricular activities or at any time during the school day if such materials, programs, or equipment contain partisan political or commercial messages. Professional staff may, however, utilize political materials or those provided by special interest-groups in adopted courses of study with the approval of the principal.

 
 

School facilities or equipment may not be used as a means of producing or disseminating to the community any materials that advertises or promotes a political party, a political cause or the candidacy of an individual for public office. Students and employees of the Board shall not be used to distribute campaign literature within the schools or on school grounds.

 
 

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 unless the student body as a whole derives benefit from such activities;

 
 

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 Board has granted special permission;

 
 

c.

the parents of a minor student have granted their permission.

 
 

C.

Distribution/Posting of Literature

 
 

No outside organization or staff member or student representing an outside organization may distribute or post literature on that organization's behalf on District property either during or after school hours without the permission and prior review of the Superintendent.

 
 

The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines that:

 
 

1.

establish criteria concerning distribution or posting of student materials;

 
 

2.

address distribution or posting of materials employees wish to distribute on behalf of an employee organization in compliance with the terms of negotiated collective bargaining agreements;

 
 

3.

prohibit the use of the District or school mail system by the community, students or staff for distribution of nonschool-related materials unless authorized by the Superintendent;

 
 

4.

prohibit distribution of materials from any profit-making organization to students to take home to their parents unless authorized by the Superintendent

 
 

5.

permit flyers and notices from outside non-profit organizations to be made available for students to pick-up at the literature distribution rack/table by the school building's office, under the following circumstances:

 
 

a.

the flyer/notice publicizes a specific community activity or event that is age-appropriate for the students that attend the school;

 
 

b.

if the event or activity is religious in nature, the flyer may not contain a proselytizing message (i.e., a message that promotes and/or advocates the benefits of the specific religion);

 
 

c.

the organization submits the number of copies of the flyer that it wants placed in the literature distribution rack/table;

 
 

d.

the organization shows the building principal its 501(C)(3) or other proof of non-profit status, and the principal confirms that the flyer/notice does not overtly advocate or entice support for any religious organization;

 
 

No student shall be required to take any of the flyers/notices placed in the literature/distribution rack/table, and the rack/table shall contain a clear notice that the Board does not support or endorse any of the organizations and/or activities/events identified in the flyers/notices.

 
 

6.

establish and clearly communicate the time, place, and manner restrictions concerning the distribution of all nonschool-related materials;

 
 

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, individuals, or staff members who meet the permission criteria established in the District's administrative guidelines. Solicitation must take place at such times and places and in such a manner as specified in the administrative guidelines. In accordance with Board Policy 5830, no District student may participate in the solicitation without the Superintendent's approval.

 
 

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

 
 

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

 
 

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

 
 

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

 
 

Use of the name, logo, or any assets of the District, including, but not limited to facilities, technology, or communication networks, is prohibited without the specific permission of the Superintendent.

 
 

Crowdfunding activities aimed at raising funds for a specific classroom or school activity, including extracurricular activity, or to obtain supplemental resources (e.g., supplies or equipment) that are not required to provide a free appropriate public education to any students in the classroom may be permitted, but only with the specific approval of the Superintendent.

 
 

All crowdfunding activities are subject to the procedures/guidelines in AG 6605.

 
 

E.

Prizes/Scholarship

 
 

The Board of Education 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 guidelines be observed.

 
 

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.

 
 

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 nondistrict-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 the students by the providers of the services.

 
 

See also Policy 2416 and AG 2416.

R.C. 3313.75-.78

Revised 11/18/13
Revised 12/12/16

© Neola 2016