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Subcommittee sends student activity accounts and fundraising policy language to full committee after raising legal questions about raffles
Summary
The subcommittee forwarded an updated JJF student activity‑accounts policy and agreed to seek legal and principal guidance on JJE fundraising changes that limit student involvement in games of chance before bringing them back for further review.
The North Middlesex Regional School District policy subcommittee moved proposed changes to student activity accounts to the full school committee and held detailed discussion of fundraising rules that could limit student involvement in raffles and competitions.
Speaker 1, an unidentified subcommittee member, said the district’s JJF policy language was simplified to match the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) model and highlighted new text setting maximum balances for school funds and a provision that would allow closing accounts inactive for three years. Speaker 2 noted the new policy specifies “maximum balances established for each school by vote of the school committee.”
On fundraising (JJE), the MASC draft explicitly disallows “games of chance” by student groups, prompting questions about whether teacher‑advised groups, parent‑teacher organizations or outside groups would be affected. Speaker 1 said the issue should be confirmed with legal counsel and principals: “I would love to get that verification through legal,” the transcript records.
Members discussed practical implications: whether teacher advisors could run raffles on behalf of student programs, whether food‑safety or facility costs create district obligations, and whether district costs such as custodial overtime for a weekend fundraiser should be borne by the activity or the district. Speaker 7 suggested adding a general statement that “all fundraising activity shall comply with applicable local and state laws” to address future changes.
Speaker 2 moved to forward policy JJF (student activity accounts) to the full committee for a first reading and Speaker 3 seconded; the motion passed with recorded yes votes from Mike, Jackie and Speaker 1. The subcommittee agreed JJE (fundraising) needs legal clarification and principal input and will be returned in late January for more work.
Next steps: Staff will check with the district’s attorneys about the scope of the prohibition on student‑run raffles and report back; principals will be asked for implementation feedback before the policies proceed to the full committee.
