Series 6000: Instruction

6153.2 Student Participation in Election Process

The Board of Education considers the active participation of students in the election process to be a  valuable and educational experience provided that it is conducted in such a manner that the privacy  of the students and their families is completely safeguarded, that there is a minimum disruption to  the total school program, that the buildings and personnel are not exploited on behalf of the  advocacy of any specific individual or issue other than through impartial information dissemination  proceedings. 

Further, the Board encourages active student participation in the annual Statewide Student Voter  Registration Drive conducted by the Secretary of State. The administration shall assist in the  coordination and publicizing of the event in order to achieve maximum student response. 

Students shall also be encouraged to serve as challengers, checkers, translators or voting machine  attendants in an election or primary, fulfilling the statutory requirements pertaining to training and  permission. 

Pre-election activity including the visits to the schools by the candidates for public office will be  coordinated via the Social Studies Department in each individual building and will be conducted in  a period of two weeks preceding the election. 

In keeping with this general statement, the Board of Education shall permit a pre-election opinion  survey to be conducted in grades eight through twelve during the week preceding the November  election. 

Legal Reference:  Policy adopted: 

Connecticut General Statutes 

9.233 Voting machine tenders. (as amended by P.A. 03-108)  9-235 Unofficial checkers.(as amended by P.A. 03-108) 

9·235d Citizens sixteen or seventeen years of age authorized to serve as  election or primary officials.(as amended by P.A. 03-108) 

9•258 Election officials; additional lines of electors. (as amended by P.A.  03-108) 

9-436 Use, number and adjustment of voting machines; conditions and rules  for use of paper ballots; qualification and appointment of primary officials.  (as amended by P.A. 03-108) 

9-436a Candidate checkers. (as amended by P.A. 03-108) 

October 15, 2007 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS  Thomaston, Connecticut