5105 - Student Clubs

Purpose of Student Clubs

Chappaqua Central School District student clubs serve as valuable extracurricular extensions of the educational experience, offering students opportunities to explore their interests, develop leadership skills, and foster a sense of community within the school. These non-curricular and curricular clubs aim to enhance the overall learning environment, promote diversity, and support the educational vision of the district.  Student Clubs fall within two categories.: [1] District sponsored Student Curricular and Non-curricular and  [2] Student Initiated pursuant to the Equal Access Act.*

Participation

All District sponsored student clubs must be conducted consistent with the District’s Educational Philosophy and Equity Policy and be approved by the building principal. Student club participation and attendance is limited to Chappaqua Central School District students and staff.   Student and Equal Access Act clubs must meet on school property under the supervision of their CCSD staff supervisor. 

Student Clubs formed pursuant to the Equal Access Act shall operate consistent with the rights afforded by the federal legislation and decisional law applicable to public school districts.  A staff member may serve in the capacity of a student supervisor, but shall not have a role in carrying forward the mission of the club or actively participate in club programs and activities.

Only Chappaqua Central School District students may be members of such clubs and no student shall be denied the opportunity to participate based upon any status protected by state and federal laws and regulation.

All student clubs with unpaid CCSD staff adviserships or supervisors must be established with a CCSD staff member by November 1.

The staff advisor or supervisor is required to attend all club meetings, rehearsals (where applicable) and events.

Club Advisor Requirements

District sponsored student clubs must have a Chappaqua Central School District staff member serving as an advisor. This staff member will provide guidance and mentorship to the club's members, ensuring the club's activities align with the District’s Educational Philosophy and Equity Policy.

Staff members assigned to student-initiated clubs formed as religious or political expression or other expression shall be present solely for the purpose of supervising the students as they undertake the activities of the club.  The staff member supervisor is required to attend all club meetings, rehearsals (if applicable) and events

Co-Sponsorship of Events with Outside Organizations

District sponsored student clubs and Equal Access Act clubs are permitted to co-sponsor events, activities, or fundraisers with outside organizations with the permission of the building principal.  Clubs may not represent the District at an off-campus event without the permission of the building principal. In the absence of such permission, the club members may participate without the District’s endorsement. 

To request permission to co-sponsor an event with an outside organization, the club through the advisor/supervisor must provide the following information in writing to the building principal at least 30 days in advance of the event:

• The name and mission of the outside organization who would be sharing sponsorship of the event.
• The proposed location, date and time of the event.
• The name and credentials of all guest speakers at the event.
• The topic and purpose of the presentations.
• The intended audience (e.g., club members, students, staff, etc.).
• A brief outline of the content to be presented including an agenda.
• The role of the CCSD student club before and during the event.
• Any costs associated with the event that would be paid by the student club.

Such collaboration with external entities must be consistent with the district's policies and should not compromise the emotional or physical safety or integrity of the students or the school community. The advertisement for the event must be approved by the building principal in advance of publication. The club advisor/supervisor must attend the co-sponsored event if approved by the building principal to supervise the members of the club.

Guest Speaker Policy

Clubs may invite guest speakers to school to enhance their understanding of the club's focus or area of interest. However, for District sponsored student clubs, to ensure that these presentations align with the District’s Educational Philosophy and Equity Policy of the district and maintain the safety of the school environment, clubs may not schedule guest speakers without obtaining prior written permission from the building principal.

To request permission for a club guest speaker, the club through the advisor/supervisor must provide the following information to the building principal at least thirty (30) days in advance of the event:

• The name and credentials of the proposed guest speaker.
• The topic and purpose of the presentation.
• The intended audience (e.g., club members, students, staff, etc.).
• A brief outline of the content to be presented.
• Materials to be presented to the students.
• K-12 public school references, preferably in New York State.

The building principal will review the request and may consult with relevant district personnel as necessary to determine the appropriateness of the proposed guest speaker. The decision to approve or deny the request will be communicated to the club advisor/supervisor in a timely manner.

The principal may waive the thirty (30) day notice provision for guest speakers sponsored by clubs under extenuating circumstances.

For Equal Access Act student clubs, the building principal shall consider whether or not the intended speech would be violative of the rights of students who may attend the session and, if so, take action accordingly. The audience for the speaking engagement shall be limited to the members of the club, unless the activity will take place after school hours, subject to approval pursuant to Education Law §414.

Field Trips

All official club meetings outside of the regularly scheduled day and off campus are considered field trips, including club participation in another organization's event and must follow field-trip procedures, including permission slips, bus transportation, and advisor/supervisor supervision.

The Club advisor/supervisor is responsible for submitting all approval requests 30 days in advance of the trip, coordinating transportation, organizing chaperones, supervising permission slips, and managing funding for official club meetings that occur outside of the regularly scheduled day and off-campus. Clubs are responsible for all costs associated with the field trip, including transportation, unless financial support is provided by the school district or the Chappaqua PTA, Greeley Sports Boosters or Friends of Greeley Theater.

Flyers/Advertisements

All student club materials to be placed on school district property must be approved by school administration and affixed with the administrative stamp prior to posting. The approval shall be subject to decision making by the building principal within two (2) days of submission for review and subject to an appeal to the Superintendent of Schools which shall be decided no later than two (2) days following such appeal.

Fundraising

Fundraising activities for student clubs require written authorization from the building principal and may only be conducted by recognized District sponsored student clubs and student initiated  clubs formed pursuant to the Equal Access Act. Club initiated fundraising for not-for-profit organizations (e.g., IRC §501 (c) (3) corporations) may be conducted through passive collection means under the supervision of the building principal.

All fundraising activities must be in  compliance with Policy 1020, Fund-Raising Activities.

Social Media & Website Expectations

References to the Chappaqua Central School District student clubs may not be listed/highlighted on the websites or social media platforms of non-affiliated school district organizations. Doing so would imply that there is an existing relationship between the school district and the outside organization.

CCSD Student Club Oversight

The building principal or their designee shall regularly review District sponsored club activities to safeguard their alignment with the District’s Educational Philosophy and District’s Equity Policy and anti-discrimination laws.  Monitoring by the building principal of student initiated Equal Access Act student clubs shall be based upon compliance with the Equal Access Act and anti-discrimination laws.

The school building principal or their designee will maintain a process for monitoring and ensuring that student clubs operate in accordance with this policy.  Clubs which do not adhere to this policy may be disaffiliated from the district and will not be permitted to meet on school property or identify as a member school’s extracurricular program.   

This policy shall be in effect starting July 1, 2024.

1. District sponsored clubs are clubs recognized by the secondary building principals with staff advisors.  Student initiated clubs pursuant to the Equal Access Act are clubs formed at the initiative of students where the subject matter of the club falls within the scope of the law with a staff supervisor assigned by building administration.
2. In accordance with the Equal Access Act and First Amendment, there should be no difference between the privileges and resources provided to student clubs

Cross-Ref:

Policy 0130 - District Equity Policy
Policy 2075 - Maintaining District Neutrality on Non-School Related Matters
Policy 4060 - Outside Speakers Sponsored by School-Affiliated Organizations: Chappaqua PTA, Greeley Sports Boosters & Friends of Greeley Theater

Adopted:         March 6, 2024