The debate continued last week at the Carbon School District’s board meeting regarding the district’s Out of the State Travel Policy, specifically for sixth graders.
Superintendent Mika Salas brought the text from Carbon School District’s (CSD) Policy 531 to the board’s attention during June’s meeting. She expressed concern on being required to pay for travel for the sixth graders’ parents if the student is invited to compete out of state and is also on a fee waiver. While no other middle school student is required to have parent in attendance to travel out of state, Superintendent Salas was recommending to revise the policy by no longer requiring sixth graders to be accompanied by a parent. Since the board was unable to agree on the item, no action was taken, making the item a repeat topic during this month’s board meeting.
Resuming the agenda item, the board began analyzing the policy once again during its work session. Carbon School Board President Jeffery Richens began the discussion to determine what type of club archery is classified under, whether it be a school-sponsored club or a community club.
Policy 531 was brought to the surface due the exceptional performance that CSD students have displayed in the archery programs. Students from Carbon High School, Creekview Elementary, Castle Heights Elementary and Mont Harmon Middle School (MHMS) were invited to compete at 2022 Worlds National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Tournament in Lousiville, Kentucky that took place at the end of June. Several of the students representing MHMS were sixth graders.
Superintendent Salas explained that all archery advisors are paid a stipend during the season, which she expressed should classify them as a school-sponsored club. The board determined that to dial down the travel policy dilemma, it is best to define what a school-sponsored club is and add it to Policy 529 regarding student activities and trips.
“I know we have to worry about policy and I know we can get that all squared away,” said Superintendent Salas. “We can have language in here but I would hope that we would really consider something that is so powerful for kids to have that connection that we just don’t push it off to a club that it is not sponsored by the schools.”
Reverting back to the main concern regarding paying for the sixth grader’s parents’ travel if they are on fee waiver, the board continued to discuss every inch of the subject. Board members once again compared overnight stay in state versus out of state and whether or not a sixth grade student is too young to be without parental supervision.
Board Member Gwen Callahan expressed feelings of discomfort in excluding a sixth grader from a competition if their parent was unable to afford the trip. “The whole goal of fee waiver is to not exempt kids or exclude kids because of the social economic status,” said Callahan.
Callahan also made a stance in explaining that the sixth graders are now considered middle schoolers.
“When we start putting those sixth graders into the middle school, who is functioning as a middle school, who can [participate in clubs, sports and activities], how can we philosophy say that those sixth graders can’t do that when we’ve already philosophy said they are ready to go to a middle school concept,” said Callahan, closing out the working session.
The board addressed the changes in the general session of the meeting and decided to delete the part of the policy that states “Sixth grade students may compete at the national level, out of state, if they meet eligibility requirements. There must be at least one parent to the competition.”
Board Member Wayne Woodward made a motion to approve Policy 531 with those changes as a first reading and board member Lee McCourt seconded the motion.
“I don’t have a problem with it. Superintendent says they’re safe, they’ve done it, it’s worked. I have no problem with it,” said McCourt.
