Committee takes first read of revised fundraising policy; naming rights and solicitation rules flagged for legal review

School committee members held a first reading of a revised fundraising and donations policy intended to streamline approval for school-based PTOs and booster organizations, add guidance on donations and solicitation restrictions, and open a discussion about naming rights.

Policy committee members said the existing policy required school-committee approval for many PTO fundraisers (including a by-October-15 approval requirement) and that the rewrite aims to move routine approvals to the building level, use existing building-use forms, and clarify donation-handling procedures. The draft also introduced language for conditional vs. unconditional donations, refusal rights and examples of restricted activities.

Board members asked legal counsel to review several aspects: whether restrictions on alcohol, gambling and marijuana at fundraisers are enforceable; how the policy should treat peer-to-peer student fundraisers (walkathons, pledge drives) that typically solicit only family donations; whether the district may accept naming-rights donations and, if so, how to vet donors for conflicts or reputational issues. Some members urged caution about refusing donations; others suggested parameters for refusing gifts if a donor's activities conflict with district values or present perceived conflicts of interest.

The committee agreed to send the draft to the district's legal counsel for review and to return the policy for a later vote. No action was taken at this meeting.