The Westerville City Schools Board of Education heard the first reading Monday on seven policy changes, including new rules governing student participation in extracurricular activities outside their home schools and access for certain youth organizations.
The policies are part of a larger group of 22 that the district received for review following summer legislative changes. Chief Personnel and Policy Officer Scott Reeves said the remaining policies will come before the board in groups at upcoming meetings.
Two of the most significant additions address the Student Athlete Mobility Act and school access for designated youth membership organizations.
Student Athlete Mobility Act
A new Student Athlete Mobility policy would allow some public high school students to participate in extracurricular activities at another public high school when their school does not offer the activity.
The policy is required under Senate Bill 276 and, despite its name, applies beyond athletics. Superintendent Angie Hamberg said it could include clubs, citing chess club as an example.
Participation would require approval from the superintendents of both the student’s home district and the district where the student wants to participate.
“It is not automatic,” Reeves said.
Students would have to meet the same academic, nonacademic, and financial requirements as students enrolled in the receiving school. In sports requiring tryouts, approval would allow a student to try out but would not guarantee a place on the team.
Students in districts with multiple high schools generally would have to seek the activity within their district first. For example, a Westerville student whose school does not offer an activity would first need permission to participate at another Westerville high school. If denied, the student could petition a neighboring district.
Westerville’s neighboring districts under the policy are Columbus, Worthington, Olentangy, Big Walnut, New Albany, and Gahanna-Jefferson.
Petitions would be due no later than two weeks before the official start of an activity’s season. Students could not participate in the same activity at more than one high school during the same school year or use the policy to seek a different competitive level.
Board President Kristi Meyer asked whether students would have to petition each year. The proposed policy does not explicitly require annual petitions, though Meyer said requiring students to reapply “makes sense.”
Youth organizations could receive access to students.
The board also heard the first reading of a Youth Membership Organization Access policy required under Senate Bill 19.
The proposal would give specified federally chartered youth organizations opportunities each school year to recruit and provide information to students. They include Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Civil Air Patrol, Future Farmers of America, Girl Scouts of America, Little League Baseball and Softball, Marine Corps League, and Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
A qualifying organization could request up to 10 consecutive minutes to speak with students during the school day, but not during instruction in a core subject. Organizations also would receive at least one opportunity each school year to display recruitment materials and use existing district digital communication channels.
Parents or guardians would be notified before a presentation and could withhold consent for their child to participate.
Meyer asked whether the law limits which grade levels organizations may approach. Reeves said it does not, meaning a covered organization could request access to elementary students, subject to notification and parental consent requirements.
Board members also asked whether organizations not named in state law would receive the same access. Reeves said they would not.
The covered organizations are “expressly written in Senate Bill 19 and the ORC that it translates to,” Reeves said.
Other policies under review
The board also heard first readings of revisions covering interscholastic athletics, student medications, public records and school board vacancies, resignations and removals.
Athletics changes include eligibility requirements for incoming ninth-graders, who would have to pass at least four courses during the final grading period of eighth grade. High school students must pass at least five one-credit courses or their equivalent during the preceding grading period. The district also requires a minimum 1.75 grade-point average.
Medication revisions address prescription and over-the-counter drugs, student self-administration and emergency treatment, including naloxone for an apparent opioid overdose.
Public records revisions address requests and transmission of records, including provisions allowing the district to limit records sent by U.S. mail to 10 per month in certain circumstances. Other revisions update rules for school board vacancies and removals, including protections for board members deployed while serving in the U.S. armed forces or Ohio National Guard.
The policies were presented for first reading and were not up for adoption Monday. Reeves said the district uses two readings to allow the public to comment before approving policies.
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