Perkiomen Valley panel to adopt streamlined political‑activity rule, add regs for volunteers and co‑curriculars

The Perkiomen Valley School District policy committee agreed at its meeting to move toward adopting the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) version of policy 3.21 on political activities, add explicit language to cover co‑curricular activities and volunteers, and develop an administrative regulation with concrete examples linked to the Hatch Act.

The committee’s discussion focused on where to place specific prohibitions and how to avoid leaving enforcement in a “murky gray area.” Ms. Aduchi, who presented the policy material for administration, said administrators and legal counsel view one‑sided QR codes or single‑link pages that encourage students as violations unless they are part of a balanced lesson.

“The attorneys agreed with that,” Ms. Aduchi said, describing a follow‑up review of a teacher door QR code linking to moveon.org. District staff removed the link after redirecting the staff member, she said.

Committee members debated whether to keep detailed examples inside the policy text or move them to an administrative regulation. Several members favored using a concise policy and placing operational specifics — such as examples of prohibited conduct and guidance on apparel or publications — in a linked administrative regulation.

The group also discussed extending the policy’s stakeholder scope beyond employees to include volunteers and, separately, school visitors. Miss Lofton asked that volunteers be covered; others noted visitors may be more appropriately handled in visitor or volunteer policies but agreed to link the relevant policies so the district’s expectations are consistent.

One member asked whether voter‑registration activity constitutes political activity; a committee member responded that voter registration is not considered a political activity under the policy discussion.

Committee direction: administrators will bring back the MCIU version modified to reference Perkiomen Valley School District (PVSD), add explicit language covering co‑curricular activities and volunteers, and include an administrative regulation that ties examples to Hatch Act guidance. The revised policy and admin regulation are scheduled for the November meeting.

Why it matters: The policy governs what employees and related adults may do or display while on duty or on district property. Committee members cited concerns about consistency of enforcement and about ensuring the school environment remains an instructional, not partisan, setting.

Next steps: Administration will draft the amended policy language and an administrative regulation with examples (both permissive and prohibited conduct) and cross‑references to visitor and volunteer policies for committee review in November.