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Board gives first reading to transportation policy allowing parent sign-outs for athletic events
Summary
Regional School District 12 held a lengthy debate and approved a first reading of proposed Policy 3541.312, which would let parents assume responsibility for transporting students home from sports events via district forms designed to limit liability; board members raised concerns about coach burden and last-minute games.
Regional School District 12’s board on Tuesday approved a first reading of a revised transportation policy that would let parents sign forms to assume responsibility for transporting their children home from off-site athletic events.
The proposed policy (identified in board materials as Policy 3541.312) would use two forms: a season-level opt-in and an on-the-day form coaches could receive and file. Board members and district counsel framed the change as a way to accommodate families who live in multiple sending towns while protecting the district and staff from liability.
“[T]he number one, we’re suggesting that everybody take the bus there and back,” a district presenter said during the discussion, noting that the policy is intended primarily to encourage bus travel while allowing exceptions that are documented. As written, the draft form includes language that a parent would sign to accept responsibility; the presenter read the form language: “I accept full responsibility for the safe transportation of my child.”
Supporters said the forms give a defensible structure for a common informal practice in which parents sometimes pick up students directly from events. “We’re looking for a way to accommodate some of the feelings … within a framework the lawyers think will be appropriate,” a board member said.
Opponents warned the paperwork could be burdensome for coaches, particularly young or volunteer coaches, and could create last-minute conflicts at events. One board member noted championship games sometimes are scheduled the day before and urged allowances for those contingencies. Several members pressed staff to explore an electronic or season-wide solution to reduce on-site paper burdens.
District staff said counsel recommended the two-form approach (a season opt-in and a per-event acknowledgment) to create clear, consistent documentation the carrier could accept if an incident occurred. Board members asked staff to revisit whether a parent-only season waiver (narrowly written) could reduce repetitive paperwork while preserving the district’s liability protections.
The motion to accept the proposed language for a first reading passed; meeting minutes record opposition(s) during the vote but do not record a roll-call tally or named nay votes on the record.
