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Parents urge changes to Adventure Club winter hours and challenge Hawthorne Valentine’s policy at Park Hill meeting
Summary
Two parents used public comment Jan. 23 to ask the Park Hill board to change Adventure Club hours during inclement weather and to reconsider a Hawthorne Elementary decision to prohibit Valentine's Day parties and exchanges, arguing the events support social-emotional learning and community.
Two parents used the meeting’s public-comment period on Jan. 23 to press the Park Hill Board of Education on school operations and building-level policies.
Jared Bendour described safety concerns with the district’s Adventure Club and Prime Time hours on inclement-weather days. He said Adventure Club currently opens at 6:30 a.m. even when school is canceled and that on recent snow days parents and staff have been forced to travel on unplowed side streets in the dark. Bendour asked whether the district could delay Adventure Club start times on inclement-weather or AMI days, or cancel the program when the district cancels school, and noted neighboring districts operate later on such days.
“Is there a way that we can have Adventure Club have a later start time or be canceled due to inclement weather events?” Bendour asked during his three-minute public-comment slot.
January Carter, a Hawthorne Elementary parent, read an email from Hawthorne leadership explaining two changes: no Valentine’s Day parties and no exchanging of valentines in the classroom. Carter said these activities build social-emotional skills, support family involvement and create childhood memories; she urged the board to reconsider the change or provide alternatives that preserve inclusivity without removing celebrations entirely.
The board thanked both speakers; no board decision was made during public comment, and staff did not present an immediate operational change during the meeting. Both requests were recorded for board consideration.
What to watch
Board or staff follow-up on Adventure Club inclement-weather procedures and any district-level guidance about classroom celebrations or building-level policy will determine whether either request leads to policy change.
