Series 3000: Business/Non-Instructional Operations

3281 School Fundraisers

3281

It is the responsibility of the Board to control fundraising activities which involve the students in the school system.

Any organizations, including parent/teacher groups and organizations, wishing to engage in a fundraising activity, must have prior approval from the School Principal and the Business Manager.

The following guidelines shall apply when a School Principal considers a fundraising activity for approval:

1. The gift or donation for which the fundraiser is held shall be of sufficient benefit to the school and/or students to justify the fundraising activity.

2. The anticipated gift or donation shall not supplant an item which had been part of the normal operational budget within the previous two fiscal years, nor the Board’s responsibility for educational funding.

3. The mechanics and procedures for fundraising shall not be an unacceptable burden to school staff members nor subject the school to any significant risks or responsibilities in handling funds.

4. Fund-raisers which involve students through their class, school club or group shall be supervised by a staff member who, along with the School Principal, accepts the responsibility for the mechanics and procedures of the fundraiser.

5. The number of fundraising activities per school year for which merchandise is sold shall not exceed more than ten fundraisers per school calendar year and shall be appropriate to the school environment.

6. The Board encourages fundraising activities which provide services rather than the sale of merchandise. Of the ten fundraiser maximum, it is recommended that an organization/club host one fundraiser is required to be of charitable donation.

7. The only exception to the maximum number of fundraisers permitted per school calendar year pertains solely to students enrolled in a Capstone course at Thomaston High School. The number of fundraisers for Capstone projects for any student enrolled in a Capstone course cannot exceed the number of students enrolled. All Capstone fundraising requests must be approved by the School Principal. This includes, but is not limited, to flyers for posting/distribution of Capstone fundraisers.

8. Requests for fundraising activities shall be directed to the office of the School Principal on the appropriate form for approval. Once approved by the School Principal, the request will be submitted to the Business Manager for final approval. The Business Manager will forward a copy of the fully approved fundraiser request form to the Superintendent for his/her records. The Superintendent is the final approval. The School Principal shall maintain a copy of all fully approved fundraising request forms. All denied fundraising request forms shall be returned to the requester by the School Principal.

9. Students in grades K-6 shall not be asked to solicit outside of the home. Adult supervision is recommended.

10. Students in grades 7-12 are permitted to solicit for intended purpose with the approval of Administration and appropriate school approved documentation letter.

11. Fundraising Activity Approval form must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the fundraiser.

12. Before collecting funds, the fundraiser activity form must be approved by the Principal, Business Manager and Superintendent. This includes Board of Education approval if required.

13. Any staff member requesting a fundraiser activity must notify the lead secretary by email the date they submit the Fundraiser Activity Approval Request Form. After the notification, the approval process will commence.

14. All schools are required to communicate monthly to local organizations the current fundraisers approved by building to avoid competing fundraisers. Schools must use a viewable spreadsheet by the 1 st of each month for local distribution.

Policy adopted: October 19, 2015 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Policy Update: September 12, 2022 Thomaston, Connecticut

Revisions of Policy: September 15, 2023 Fundraising Policy Committee

Revisions of Policy November 22, 2023 Fundraising

Policy Committee Policy revised and updated: February 12, 2024