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Parents raise concerns over constitution booklet and materials-distribution policy at Lynchburg schools
Summary
Parents urged the Lynchburg City Schools board to review procedures after a constitution booklet distributed to students included a QR code linking to 917society.org and lacked the disclaimer the district’s policy KF requires for nonprofit materials.
During the board’s general public comment period, multiple parents raised concerns about the district’s materials-distribution rules and recent donated items given to students.
April Watson, a Lynchburg City Schools parent, told the board that a constitution booklet distributed to elementary and middle-school students contained a QR code linking to www.917society.org and that the website included content and fundraising appeals for political candidates and groups. Watson said the district’s policy KF — which requires materials from nonprofit community organizations be clearly identified and include a disclaimer that the school board does not sponsor or endorse the materials — was not followed on the constitution handouts.
“I saw my child's constitution in his binder ... and I noticed ... a QR code on the back that takes me directly to a website, www.917society.org,” Watson said. “Section KF of the school board policy states materials from nonprofit community organizations approved for distribution must clearly indicate their source and must include the following statement: 'These materials and the activity described herein are not sponsored or endorsed by the Lynchburg City School Board.' That disclaimer was not printed on the constitutions distributed to many of our elementary and middle school students.”
Watson said the 917 Society has ties to Moms for Liberty and that other districts have refused the same constitution donation. She asked the board to perform consistent vetting of donated materials so parents and students are not exposed to political material without appropriate labeling.
Other speakers, and district response
Board members and staff noted the district routinely reviews donated materials and that some donations require individual review. Watson and others said the inconsistency in how donations were handled — compared to other packets (for example, a Lynchburg Fire Department packet that contained the required disclaimer) — created concern.
Ending
Board members did not take immediate action at the meeting but the public comment and requests for consistent vetting were entered on the record for board and staff follow up.
