BCSD policy discrepancies found during re-write

BONNERS FERRY — During the course of rewriting district policies, Boundary County School District officials have noticed several discrepancies.

One of the majority discrepancies was discovered when board trustees had to approve an FFA alumni event. Since students would be serving food at a fundraiser, they asked if they could wear their FFA jackets at the event.

However, the past board said that while the event could take place, students couldn’t wear their FFA jackets since alcoholic beverages were ordered at the restaurant. Students did not serve alcohol at past events, but were not allowed to wear their jackets in the past due to its presence.

Superintendent Jan Bayer said that at the time of the decision she was not employed by BCSD.

The organizer of the event wanted to know why the board wouldn’t let students wear their jackets.

At the Feb. 28 board meeting, current trustees said they did not care whether or not the students wore their FFA jackets at the event.

In the past there had been alcohol present and an AR-15 was being raffled off. Bayer said the story had been in the paper and it did not look good for the students.

“The school district got a lot of backlash saying, ‘how can you have students present near alcohol when our athletic code doesn't allow it,’” Bayer said.

Trustee Mary Fiovanti said that allowing students to wear their jackets at the fundraiser would be restoring their rights.

“This is not a school-sponsored event. It's the FFA alumni coming together on their own volition and saying ‘we're going to fundraise for the high school FFA chapter,’” Fiorvanti said.

She said in the past she has participated in the event and that FFA students are invited to volunteer at the fundraiser, but are not required to. FFA students own their jackets, she said.

To tell them that they couldn’t wear their uniforms, would be like telling football players they couldn’t wear their jerseys to a restaurant. She contended it is overreach by the district to tell students what to wear when they are not on school property.

Board members agreed that that would be an over-extension of the board’s power.

Bayer said that the issue wasn’t what students wore, but noted that students being in the presence of alcohol is a violation of school policy.

In the policy under the activities: Violation and Procedures section in policy No. 3380P it defines “knowingly present.” The section reads that “a student involved in activities attending a gathering of two or more individuals at which one or more of the attendees (other than the student) were using or in the possession of drug paraphernalia, controlled substance, drugs, pornography, alcohol, or tobacco and the student knew or reasonable should have known that such a use or possession was occurring.”

This doesn't mean that the student was involved in the activity, but was knowingly present when these actions were involved. Current board members, who had not written the policy, agreed that it is inappropriate for a student to be present with drugs, but due to the language they thought adding students shouldn’t be in the presence of alcohol opened a can of worms.

Bayer said that she didn’t agree to the policy and that it was so vague that it could put students in unneeded disciplinary action.

Trustee Teresa Rae said that with how the policy is written her own child could face disciplinary action if she went to a family reunion in the summer where adults were having a beer.

The board agreed because of the language a student who went out to dinner with a parent who was drinking a beer would be in violation of school policy.

“This is why we are rewriting policy,” Bayer said.

Due to the language of the policy any student “knowingly in the presence of alcohol” could face disciplinary action by the school district. Since it doesn’t mention the activity of participating in drinking, any student that works at a restaurant that serves alcohol, or is out at dinner with an adult who is legally drinking would be violating the policy.

Bayer said that the policy was originally written to prevent students from drinking underage or attending drinking parties, but the language is too loose and could be exploited by a future board. The BCSD is rewriting their entire policy in order to re-align with all state laws, for clarity and to better reflect the values of the district.

Bayer told the Bonners Ferry Herald that 2020’s lengthy legislative session meant the district did not receive updates until school was already in session and plans were in place.

BCSD, in partnership with the Idaho School Board Association, is given quarterly updates on policy that align with all state laws. BCSD has been going through a policy rewrite since April 2020.

The next BCSD board of trustees meeting is scheduled for April 18, at 6 p.m. at the district office.