From Doug and Sheila George, Destination Imagination Volunteer Team Managers at Bel Air High School:
Dear Editor:
We are writing as a follow up to our October 29, 2013 editorial regarding the impact of the new HCPS procedures on the Destination Imagination [DI] program in Harford County Public Schools. (Click to review the previous editorial and its associated comments for additional information about Destination Imagination and its dedicated community volunteers.) Through our continued support of the DI program, we are seeing first hand that opportunities for students to participate in clubs and extracurricular activities are being diminished due to the school system’s procedures that prohibit community volunteers from sponsoring student groups in the schools.
At the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, while the Harford County Board of Education was considering revisions to the Board policies regarding clubs and extracurricular activities, the school system’s central office implemented new procedures to manage the DI program. The new procedures were clearly implemented to enforce the proposed revisions to the Board policy, as they contained explicit language from the revisions. The new procedures included, among others, the following changes to the DI program:
– “Official school sponsored Dl team manager/s … must be employed by HCPS”
– “… Meetings of the HCPS Dl team must take place at school only.”
At the Board of Education meeting on October 28, 2013, the Board rejected the proposed revisions to the policies, and the policies were returned to the Policy Review Committee. Unfortunately for the DI program, although the policies were rejected, the new procedures were not retracted.
Communications with Central Office staff to discuss the new procedures and to offer compromises to allow DI to continue in the schools were fruitless. Their responses demonstrated a clear emphasis on the school system’s concern about liability, but what was most concerning, was the lack of emphasis on providing an assortment of educational extracurricular activities that will benefit our students in their future endeavors.
Given the current financial situation and the resources available, it seems unrealistic to attempt to provide the same quality and number of opportunities that have been offered in the past unless an effort is made to reach out to community volunteers; however, according to Central Office staff, there is no acceptable method to certify a community volunteer to sponsor any club or student group unless the group is a sports team. Therefore, many clubs and extracurricular activities will no longer have a place in the school system.
The impact of the new procedures on the DI community has been devastating. The figure below shows the distribution of HCPS sponsored DI teams for the past five years.
In summary,
– Last year HCPS sponsored 68 total DI teams, total, this year HCPS is only sponsoring 20 teams = 70% Reduction
– Last year 26 HCPS schools sponsored DI teams, this year only 12 schools are sponsoring teams = 54% Reduction
– Last year HCPS sponsored 7 Rising Star Teams (non competitive program for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students), this year 0 = 100% Reduction
– Last year HCPS sponsored 34 Elementary level teams, this year only 5 = 85% Reduction
– Last year HCPS sponsored 27 Middle and High School level teams combined, this year only 15 = 45% Reduction.
Through the efforts of dedicated volunteers and the cooperation of Harford Community College, 15 of the 48 teams that HCPS disbanded were able to register as community teams. However, these community teams will go away once these students graduate or leave the DI program, and with the lack of support from HCPS at the elementary level, there will be no new teams to take their places.
Through our discussions regarding the new procedures we have learned that other student activities have also been impacted due to new procedures that were implemented to prohibit non-HCPS staff from sponsoring student groups, including the Havre de Grace High School service learning group, SMILES, and the Bel Air Middle School xSTEM program. In fact, we were told by Central Office staff that these new procedures apply to all student groups, not just DI.
It is our opinion that if the school system can certify an individual with no teaching or professional experience to be a substitute teacher in a classroom where they have unrestricted access to students, that the school system can also certify community volunteers to supplement the teaching staff in supporting extracurricular activities and clubs. (The majority of volunteers would be willing to pay the cost of becoming certified in order to support the students.) Our students deserve these opportunities and our community is willing to help the school system provide them.
You are absolutely correct in stating that HCPS could certify community volunteers the same way that they certify substitute teachers. I don’t know what the policy is today, but just a few years ago high schools were allowed to have athletic coaches from outside the school system. The cost of fingerprinting, state, and federal background checks is approximately $55. My guess is that DI volunteer team managers would be more than willing to do that so long as it is a one time expense. I do not believe that substitute teachers need to be recertified every year, so community volunteers should not either.
I know that some parents are very passionate about this, but put it in perspective. Background checks only show if something has happened in the past. We live in a different time. Although most parents are well-meaning and dedicated, what happens if something goes wrong? There were coaches who were meeting at their homes and transporting students other than their own here and there. Who is liable for this if something goes wrong? HCPS?
Say It Ain’t So…you are correct on the liability issues; however, no one is opposing the need for some changes as long as these changes are universal across school activities and sports. The biggest issue, is eliminating the dedicated team managers, some of which have been dedicated to this program for many years…long after their children have graduated and moved on. These managers have the skill set needed to teach the DI teams to achieve in life skills and much more.
It seems the editorial indicates that indeed these where universal changes in policy. The certification of temporary coaches has been a long existing policy and perhaps a similar program can be instituted for other activities. This suggestion was made to you before. Did you carry that on to your talks with the BOE? The liability issue is a real issue. To be upset about it and claim it singled you out is ignoring the issues schools face everyday.
What’s the deal with Kerchanavy getting the pay to play fees eliminated? Why blow a $3 million hole in the budget now? Harford County ain’t hurting – McMansions everywhere. There should be assitance for kids with true economic hardship but majority of county residents could just forgo one night at the pizza place to pay for the fees. Just stupid.
A few responses to comments…
Say it Ain’t So – Yes Background checks only show if their is a history and cannot be used as a fullproof method to protect the students. In fact last year, 2 HCPS paid inclusion helpers were charged with sexual offenses involving students. Although these incidents occured, the school sytem still employs inclusion helpers, and they still screen potential employees the same as they have in the past.
Also, many times students are assigned group projects, and they are required to meet at private residences to complete projects. In addition, kids on sports teams or kids in drama groups will meet at private residences to practice independently of their coaches.
Is the solution to ban meetings of students outside of school at private residences, or ban inclusion helpers or aids because they could harm the kids?
I would suggest that DI team managers enter into some sort of contract with the school system that would limit the liability of the school if an incident occurs at a private residence. The school could encourage team mangers to add some type of rider insurance on their homeowners policies for their own personal protection. We cannot just end programs because of fear.
Cdev – Our discussions with Central Office did indicate that these procedures impact all groups except sports. The problem is, that the procedures only impact the activities that the risk managers are aware of. Since DI is popular, central office made a clear procedure directed at DI, they did not explicitly state that other groups were also affected. So, parent booster groups, sports, music, drama, i.e, and some existing parent sponsored clubs remain in the schools with no new restrictions. Also, this year a rule was made that DI kids cannot use power tools. When we inquired why DI kids could not use tools, but Robotics, Electrathon and drama kids could, we were told that all drama directors, robotics instructors, and Electrathon coaches were tech ed teachers. When we pointed out that non tech ed teachers do instruct these activities, we were told that new rules would be coming to ban power tool use on all activities not run by a tech ed teacher. That discussion was three months ago, and my daughter who participates in drama under a non tech ed teacher is still able to use power tools for drama but not DI.
We know that liability is a concern, but in order to keep our kids off of the couch or off of the street corner we need a variety of extracurricular activities and other opportunities to match their interests. I am not writing to solicit pity or to say that DI is being unfairly treated. I have been trying to get answers from the school system, and they simply will not respond with a clear answer. The Board rejected the proposed revised policies, in part because they did not want to see opportunities taken away from the kids. I am communicating that even by rejecting the policies, the procedures in place are taking opportunities away. So I am asking them to get off of the fence and make a decision – either work with the community to implement procedures that reduce school system liability but preserve opportunities or make a statement acknowledging that they can no longer accept community volunteers to support activities that are not managed by teachers.