Forest Lake school board hears dozens of speakers urging retention of student clubs as policy changes loom

Dozens of students, teachers and community members urged the Forest Lake Area Schools board to keep school clubs and staff support as the district moves to adopt new model policies that would replace district policy 507.

Speakers came during the district's allotted public comment period on May 1 and addressed proposed policy updates labeled in district materials as 15-10 and 18-01, model policies from the Minnesota School Boards Association. "These clubs are critical for this district because they help students feel like they belong," said Rob Rayfield, identifying himself as a Scandia resident and former board member. "Without that feeling that they belong, their academics suffer."

The public comments stretched for more than an hour. Member Christensen told the board that the listening session included at least 12 people speaking about changes to student-activities policy; she said a community petition had more than 1,200 signatures. Several speakers described clubs as extensions of the curriculum and urged the board not to create barriers that would make clubs harder to sustain.

"Any student, regardless of age, GPA, or familial support, can join these clubs," said Abigail Legeld, a 2022 graduate, describing Rotary Interact's volunteer work and fundraising. "By creating barriers or eliminating these clubs instead of proposing solutions, you're inventing problems and harming the students of this district."

Middle- and high-school students described clubs as essential social support. "Clubs help people. They help them feel welcomed, safe, and understood," said Kaylee Matheny, who told the board she had struggled before finding club support. Senior students said adviser support made trips and leadership opportunities possible: "I wouldn't be where I am without them," said senior Maddie McCafferty of student-council advisers and club leaders.

Staff and alumni also spoke. Mary Beth Higgins, a counselor at the middle school of 25 years, said the policy committee had been surprised by some of the proposed changes and asked why 18-01 was not separately listed on the agenda. She listed many middle-school groups she said could be affected, including chess club, Kindness Rangers, rotary interact, Black Student Union and a Gay-Straight Alliance.

Susan Young, president of Forest Lake Rotary, warned that replacing policy 507 before adoption of fully fleshed replacements could leave a gap in authority and services. "If you vote to eliminate that policy tonight without having a full suite of replacement options, there is a danger that you don't have things in place for next year," she said. She also said some groups, like Rotary Interact, could not start without adult involvement and cautioned that a requirement that every activity be student-initiated would be a barrier.

Superintendent Dr. Matthew Massey and board members acknowledged the volume of comments. Massey told the board the proposed policies are based on MSBA model language "and contain necessary language that does not currently exist in policy 507 to assure the district complies with relevant statutes." He also said proposed policy 18-01 (limited open-forum groups) was slated for further community review and a separate public discussion on May 15.

Board members said they heard a mix of viewpoints at Tuesday's listening session and green-card comment period. Member Christensen and Member Haglund both asked to see the petition referenced by speakers. The board reminded commenters that the green-card protocol limits remarks to three minutes and that item 18-01 would receive additional public review.

Why this matters: the policy changes would affect how student-led affinity groups, hobby clubs and school-sponsored activities are recognized and supported. Community speakers warned that changes could reduce adviser support, add annual reorganization requirements, or raise barriers to forming new groups. The district says the updates respond to model policy guidance and statutory requirements; board members said they will continue review and community engagement before votes are taken.

Looking ahead: the board's policy committee is scheduled to meet again May 15; administration told the board that 15-10 will be on the May 29 agenda for potential approval, and 18-01 is scheduled for additional community review on May 15.