Policy 505.01

Limited Open Forum Regulation

High schools in this District shall provide a limited open forum for non-curriculum related student groups wishing to meet in the school, subject to the following:

  1. Students shall be permitted to meet during the non-instructional time of the individual students involved in the meeting, including before school, after school, during lunch or other non-instructional times. No student shall be present at a meeting at a time when the student has a class or is required by school rules to be elsewhere unless permission from the principal or designee is obtained. This includes any time during which the school requires the particular student or all students to be off school property or outside the school building.
  1. All non-curriculum related meetings shall be student initiated and open to all students in the school. All student attendance at the meeting shall be voluntary.
  1. No meeting shall include any activity that is unlawful or that materially and substantially interferes with the orderly conduct of educational activities within the school.
  1. The content of non-curriculum related student meetings is not sponsored by the School District.
  1. Students may invite speakers to their meetings subject to the provisions of paragraphs (2), (3), and (4). Non-school persons may not direct, conduct, control or regularly attend activities of such student groups.
  1. It shall be the responsibility of the students to make arrangements for a staff member to provide site supervision at the meeting. The District may assign a staff member to attend the meeting for custodial purposes.  No staff member shall be compelled to supervise any non-curriculum related student meetings.
  1. If students wish to have a non-curriculum related meeting under this regulation, they must file a request annually with the principal which lists:
  • The name and purpose of the student group.
  • The room in which they wish to meet and the time during which they will meet.
  • The name of one student who will serve as the contact between the group and school authorities.
  • The staff member who will provide site supervision.

The principal or designee shall approve a meeting if it meets the requirement of this regulation and shall notify the student contact person of such approval, or if the same does not meet the requirements of this regulation, the reasons for disapproval, within two (2) school days of the submission of the request to meet.

Legal Reference:         20 U.S.C. § 4071 et seq. (the “Equal Access Act”)

Approved: September 14, 1992
Revised: September 12, 1996
Revised: April 9, 2001
Revised: November 14, 2005
Revised: April 10, 2006
Revised:  November 14, 2016