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Board splits over process for homeschool extracurriculars; chair refers proposal to policy committee
Summary
Board member David Hensley sought an up-or-down vote to extend Moore County Schools extracurricular activities to homeschool families; Chair Robin Davis referred the item to the policy committee and an attempted appeal to keep the item for immediate board discussion failed 2–5.
A contentious procedural fight over whether to hold an immediate, full-board discussion on extending Moore County Schools extracurricular activities to homeschool families ended June 30 when Chair Robin Davis referred the request to the board’s policy committee.
Board member David Hensley, who had sought the addition of a one-sentence motion to the business agenda, asked the full board for public debate and an up-or-down vote. “This motion is for the school board to direct the policy committee to develop a policy,” Hensley said, but he argued the board should first take the temperature of the full body in public before sending it to committee.
Davis said the proper procedure was to send the item to the policy committee so members could consider policy, funding implications and return a draft for board review. “This motion is not to set the policy,” she said, explaining that the policy committee is the appropriate forum to work through details before bringing a recommended policy back to the board.
Hensley moved to appeal Davis’s ruling and bring the proposal for immediate discussion; a colleague seconded the appeal. Board counsel Charlie Schwartz explained the appeal is debatable with limits and that the chair may speak to defend the ruling. After a short debate, the board voted on the appeal: the motion to overrule the chair failed 2–5.
As a result, Chair Davis’s referral to the policy committee stands and the board will not take an immediate full-board vote. Davis said she encouraged Hensley to bring committee members any information he wants considered and invited him to attend committee meetings. Hensley and other members said they were concerned the referral would delay or avoid a public vote on whether homeschool families should have full access to district extracurriculars.
The matter will now move through the policy committee process, where members — including those on that committee — will review legal and budgetary implications and collect staff input before returning a proposed policy to the full board for final action.
