Board approves revised rule for school support organizations, clarifying audit triggers and fundraising notices

The Lexington County School District 1 Board of Trustees approved revisions to administrative rule KBER on Tuesday to align the district's requirements for support organizations (booster clubs, PTAs, similar groups) with recent statutory changes and to clarify expectations for fundraising and auditing.

District staff said the revised language narrows the circumstances under which the board may request an accounting compilation or review from a support organization, and explicitly notes that the board cannot require an external audit except when a specific call for one is authorized by majority vote and the statute provides for it. "We cannot require an external the board... cannot require an external audit except when there is a finding of specific calls determined by majority vote of the board members," a staff presenter told trustees while explaining the edits intended to reassure volunteer organizations.

The rule also reorganizes fundraising language to emphasize that principals and support organizations should coordinate, that parents must receive advance notice of fundraising activities that involve students and that direct solicitation of a student without prior parent notification is not appropriate.

Trustees asked detailed questions about canteen night deposits and practical compliance, and district finance staff described practical controls (bank night drops and SRO escorts) to secure revenues collected at late-night events. The board approved the administrative rule on its second reading by voice vote.