Students and community urge board to keep student clubs, criticize proposed policy 18-01

Dozens of students, parents and community members told the Forest Lake Board of Education during public comment that proposed policy 18-01, which would change how student interest and affinity clubs operate in district schools, risks removing access to spaces students described as essential for safety, mental health and belonging.

The speakers included current and former students, teachers and community volunteers who attributed the policy rollout to a lack of transparency. “When I finally joined BSU . . . I found people who I could relate to and I really grew as an individual,” said Kathleen O'Awesome, a 2023 Forest Lake High School graduate now attending Howard University, describing how a student affinity group affected her school experience. “If I'm afraid to go to school, I'm not gonna wanna come to school. Simple as that.”

The board heard multiple accounts of clubs that students said provided supportive environments during middle school and high school. “Clubs have kept kids alive. To ban clubs is to allow the death of children who would be alive otherwise,” Kaylee M., a student at FLAMS, told the board. Other students described cultural and language-focused clubs, such as a Hmong and Asian Culture Club, and LGBTQ-supportive groups such as Open Minds, as critical to students’ wellbeing and identity development.

The comments also included procedural objections. Kate N. (Kate Newbel) and other community members said the policy committee process lacked transparency and that community input was underplayed. “It sure seems like a violation of ethics and a possibly an open meeting law to state to a policy committee that the policies already have 4 votes,” Kate N. said, and requested access to all written comments about the proposed policy.

Susan Young, identifying herself as president of Forest Lake Rotary, thanked the policy committee for recommending removal of a minimum-student threshold for clubs and urged the board to allow vetted community volunteers to participate in clubs if they pass background checks. “If you had adults that were looking for a club, such as the Rotary Interact . . . perhaps folks in the community would be interested in helping an after school club in their interest area,” she said.

Director Friedman (policy committee) briefed the board later in the meeting on items the committee considered, including proposed policy 18-01 (equal access / student groups), whether a minimum number of students should be required to form a club, and the scope of the policy across school levels. Friedman said the committee reviewed related policies and would continue deliberations.

Speakers repeatedly framed clubs as contributors to attendance, academic achievement and mental-health supports. “When children are actively participating in something that they want to be part of, they are less likely to make negative life choices,” said Jocelyn Matheson, an educator who said she has 26 years in classrooms.

The board did not take a formal vote on policy 18-01 during the meeting. Multiple commenters asked the board to recommit or slow the policy process and to ensure committee deliberations and written feedback are shared with the public.

Board members thanked speakers for attending and noted the policy committee would continue work over the summer. The board chair reminded the public that committee meetings resume in September and encouraged community participation.

The discussion occurred during the public comment portion of the meeting and later in the agenda during the policy committee report; no formal board action on policy 18-01 was recorded at this meeting.