Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Use Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Child Evangelism Fellowship asks Lebanon board to amend facilities policy to allow Good News Club
Summary
Joy Evans of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Middle Tennessee requested the board amend its community use of facilities policy so local Good News Club after-school Bible clubs can meet earlier than 5 p.m.; she described Wilson County operations, volunteer screening and participation levels.
Joy Evans, executive director of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Middle Tennessee, asked the Lebanon Special School District board to amend the district’s community use of facilities policy so her organization’s Good News Club could use school space earlier than the current 5 p.m. limit.
“Good News Club is a Bible club where students...are taught positive character traits from scripture,” Evans told the board, saying the program is led by adult volunteers who partner with local churches and that her chapter already performs background checks and volunteer interviews. Evans said Good News Club operates in seven Wilson County elementary schools and serves about 350 students there each week.
Evans described standard practice in Wilson County: students are dismissed from school into the care of club volunteers, meetings run from dismissal until 4 p.m., and parents opt students into the program with written permission. She told the board her organization would comply with background-check requirements and training and that implementation requires a change to the district’s facilities-use restriction that currently prevents outside groups from using buildings before 5 p.m.
Board members asked procedural questions about numbers of schools served, meeting times and volunteer screening. Evans said typical staffing ranges from eight to ten volunteers per club session and that the organization has experience coordinating with local churches and school offices to collect permission forms and medical/allergy information.
No formal action was taken during public comment; board members thanked Evans and said they would review the applicable facilities-use policy before deciding on next steps.
