The Eastern Pulaski School Board will soon consider updates to the school corporation’s fundraising policies, but whether community members should be allowed to donate sports uniforms is a topic of debate. Three proposed policies were presented during a recent school board meeting.
Superintendent Dan Foster explained the first one deals with fundraising specifically as it relates to students. However, Board President Terri Johnston voiced concern with a provision that would prohibit the Athletic Department from accepting donations of uniforms.
School officials explained that language stemmed from fears that donors would try to specify uniform colors or other design features, and that uniform donations would throw off the corporation’s uniform replacement schedule. Johnston suggested that any donated uniforms would first have to be approved by the school and that logos or sponsorships would be prohibited.
Board member Joe Cunningham added that he didn’t want to discourage anyone from donating. He also referred to a donation of several thousand dollars worth of concussion-monitoring football helmets last year. Board member Mike Tetzloff thought providing uniforms should be the responsibility of the school corporation, but Johnston said she’s heard from parents that many of the volleyball uniforms are over 20 years old.
As for the two other policy proposals, Foster said one would regulate the use of crowdfunding platforms. “We’ve had a few teachers use that, but there’s no guidelines for that right now,” he explained. “There’s no policy. There’s no oversight for it. And so this would allow some oversight, some specifications. If you do this, it has to be approved ahead of time. The equipment had to come to the school. It remains part of the school. If you get it this year and leave next year, it’s part of the school. It doesn’t go with you.”
The final proposed policy deals with relations with special interest groups. “That was just trying to tie some loose ends of some of the other stuff together,” Foster said. “For instance, we had some booster organization discussion, political group discussions, all that kind of stuff.”
The Eastern Pulaski School Board is expected to voted on the fundraising policies during its June meeting.
