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Resident urges Lincoln Public Schools to close ethics loophole barring paid tutoring but not paid coaching of current students
Summary
During public comment on June 24, community member Wendy Gum asked the board to amend Title 92, Chapter 27, Section 004.03(F) to prohibit staff from coaching or tutoring for pay students assigned to their classes or teams unless approved by the local school board, citing equity and existing district policies.
During the June 24 public-comment period at the Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education work session, community member Wendy Gum urged the board to amend Title 92, Chapter 27, Section 004.03(F) to prohibit paid coaching of students who are assigned to the coach’s classroom or team.
"I propose amending 4.03 F to state shall not tutor and or coach for remuneration students assigned to his or her team unless approved by the local school board of education," Gum said during her three-minute public comment.
Gum told the board that the present rule — which she read as prohibiting paid tutoring for a teacher’s own students without board approval — leaves a perceived or actual gap when coaches run paid off‑season teams of the same students they coach or teach. "When a public school coach runs paid off season teams and programs involving students, they directly coach during the year, it creates both a perception and in some cases a practice where participation depends on payment," she said. "That undermines student equity and it's not aligned with the core values of Lincoln Public Schools."
Gum cited district policy numbers during her remarks: policy 6400 (professional ethics), policy 5520 (student fees) and policy 6441 (staff‑student relations), and argued the amendment would align Title 92 language with those district expectations. She requested the local board provide leadership by clarifying the rule to read that staff "shall not tutor and or coach for remuneration students assigned to his or her team unless approved by the local school board of education." Gum said the change would create "clear guardrails for staff, reinforce public trust, and most importantly, protect the students' growth and empower positive experience."
Board action: The comment was delivered during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; the board took no immediate action at the June 24 session. The item was a request for policy clarification from a member of the public; the transcript does not record whether the board referred the suggestion to staff or a committee.
Ending Gum closed her remarks by thanking the board, and the meeting moved on to adjournment after no closed‑session requests were filed.
