Generally
Membership in any and all scholar organizations will be open to all scholars of a particular school or schools without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, height, weight, color, hair texture, hair type or hair style, religion, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law. All scholar organizations must operate within a framework of state and federal law, Board policy and administrative rules and regulations. Membership is limited to scholars and only those scholars currently enrolled or in attendance at a District school.
School-Sponsored Scholar Clubs (Closed Forum)
All school-sponsored scholar organizations must be curriculum related. Because membership is limited to scholars, the Board establishes a closed forum regarding schoolsponsored organizations and clubs. By way of limited example, a "school-sponsored, cuniculum related scholar club or organization" would be those such as: foreign language clubs, Astronomy Club, Math Club, American History Club, American Literature Club, Scholar Council, or the like.
The Superintendent will develop general guidelines for the establishment and operation of school-sponsored scholar organizations. Such guidelines will include the approval of the building Principal prior to the formation of any club or organization, the assignment of at least one faculty advisor to each scholar organization, and provisions for the establishment of bylaws or operating procedures which provide a linkage to the curriculum relatedness of the organization.
The building Principal may deny requests for forming a school-sponsored scholar organization where the requirements of Board policy and administrative rules and regulations have not been met. When a request has been denied, the scholars will be infomied of the reasons for the denial.
Scholars may submit a written request to the Superintendent within ten days of the notice of denial for a review of the Principal's decision. The Superintendent's decision is final.
Non-School-Sponsored Scholar Clubs
The District encourages scholars to broaden their knowledge and citizenship via the formation of clubs and other groups organized to promote or pursue specialized activities outside the regular classroom environment, and not related directly to the curriculum, provided membership is open to all interested and eligible scholars from the District and approval of the building Principal is obtained. By way of limited example, a non-school-sponsored scholar club would be those such as: Ski Club, Chess Club, Bowling Club, Pep or Spirit Club, Hobby Clubs, and the like having no direct connection to the curriculum.
Meetings and Membership
Non-school-sponsored/non-curricular related scholar clubs will not conduct their activities on school property without piior permission from the Principal. Persons who are not scholars in this District must not be allowed membership in any non-school-sponsored scholar organization.
Equal Access
Scholar initiated, non-curricular related groups will be permitted to conduct voluntary meetings on high school premises only before or after the school day, provided that the meetings do not materially and substantially interfere with the orderly conduct of the educational activities of the school or violate Board policy or state or federal law.
No public funds may be expended on behalf of the non-curricular related scholar groups covered by this policy except for the incidental cost of providing space for their meetings.
Scholars seeking to establish a voluntary, non-curriculum related scholar group must first seek approval of the building Principal. Should the Principal not approve the scholar group, the scholars may submit a written request to the Superintendent within ten days of the notice of denial for a review of the Principal's decision. Should the Superintendent deny permission, the Superintendent's decision may be appealed to the Board. The Board's decision is final.
Scholar Social Events
Scholar social events, such as dances and parties, contribute an important element in the development of the individual. All such events sponsored by non-school-sponsored scholar clubs or organizations must have the prior approval of the building Principal and the unofficial, non-participating advisor of the club or class sponsoring the event.
Scholar social events must typically be held after the last regular class period during the school day unless otherwise approved by the building Principal during other, noninstructional times before school or during the lunch period.
Unless otherwise specifically approved by the Board, attendance at all social functions, regardless of the organization sponsoring or promoting the social event, is limited to scholars of the District and guests approved by the Building Administrator.
