BELLINGHAM
SCHOOL DISTRICT 501
2321
BOARD
POLICY
COMMUNITY
RESOURCE PERSONS
The
Board holds that freedom to learn is as desirable a freedom as freedom of speech,
press, and assembly. One goal of education is to prepare our students to participate
constructively in a democratic pluralistic society, a society in which many
differing opinions are held and differing causes are espoused. It is important
that students develop an understanding of ideas and of people who may seem alien
to them. It is also important that they develop judgment, a capacity to discern
the difference between fact and opinion, and to weight arguments, slogans, and
appeals. Books, films, and other media are valuable for giving students
exposure to many differing ideas; but for effective learning it is also useful
to invite appropriate persons not on the District education staff to speak to
or to meet with groups of students as part of the educational process.
No
overall standard can be established which will automatically separate and exclude
as a resource the person whose views or manner of presenting them may actually
obstruct the educational process or endanger the health and safety of students
or staff. The Board established the following guidelines; however, in an effort
to uphold the students' freedom to learn while also recognizing obligations
which the exercise of freedom entails:
- In
the selection of proposed community resource persons, the teacher/sponsor
and school building administrator are expected to exercise reasonable judgment
which takes in to account the maturity level of the students who will hear
that presentation.
- Teachers/sponsors
should encourage the use of resource persons representing various approaches
or points of view on a given topic in order to afford the students a more
comprehensive understanding of it.
- The
teacher/sponsor shall make himself/herself available to an appropriate administrator
for discussion of any resource person utilized whose presentation has been
challenged by a legitimate source.
- The
ideas presented and the resource person invited to present them shall have
a demonstrable relation to the curricular or co-curricular activity in which
the participating students are involved.
- Off-campus
speakers or resource persons shall be required, upon arrival at the campus
to check in with the main administration office. At that time, they shall
be given a copy of the District's Community Resource Policy. Agreement to
make an on-campus presentation shall be deemed acceptance of and agreement
to abide by the District guidelines.
- Language
and behavior of community resource persons should be situationally appropriate
and inoffensive to community standards.
- The
teacher/sponsor responsible for inviting the resource person, or any member
of the school administration has the right and duty to interrupt or suspend
any proceedings if the conduct of the resource persons is judged to be
situationally inappropriate or endangering to the health and safety of
students or staff.
Adopted:
11-8-84
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