I.    Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate respect for the importance of family time and community priorities when scheduling after school events/activities and to designate specific times when there shall be no school-sponsored activities for District students scheduled.

II.    General Statement of Policy

The Minnetonka School Board believes that families have the primary responsibility to ensure the education of their children academically, physically, spiritually and morally. The School Board also recognizes and values the important role that institutions other than schools play in the overall development of youth.

With the best intentions, offering a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular options which are open to a broad number of students and are responsive to student interests may present scheduling challenges, which—if left unchecked—may too easily consume every evening and every day of the week. Therefore, it is the policy of the Minnetonka School Board to restrict the scheduling of school events and activities for District students to allow for designated periods for family and community activities as follows:

1. Wednesday nights and Sundays are designated as family/community periods. No activity sponsored by the schools or Minnetonka Community Education for E-12 District students shall be scheduled during those periods, except as authorized by the Superintendent. After-school activities shall conclude no later than 6:30 pm on Wednesdays.
    
2. Full citizen participation in the political process is encouraged in Minnesota and state statute requires that no school sponsored events or activities, except for regularly scheduled classes, be held between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm on the day that an election is held or after 7:00 p.m. on the day of a political party precinct caucus. Further, use or rental of District facilities shall be prohibited during this time on Election Day for both primary and general elections.
    
3. It is the desire of the Board to avoid conflicts with recognized religious holidays. Therefore, no events shall require an individual student’s or parent’s participation on a day of religious obligation for that family.
    
4. The Board also recognizes and values the important role of parents in the educational success of their children and will make every attempt to minimize scheduling conflicts that may require a parent to choose one child’s school event over a sibling’s school event.

III.    Responsibility

1. The Superintendent, or designee, shall establish procedures and a system of checks and balances that ensures compliance with this policy in the scheduling of all events in the District.
    
2. The Superintendent, or designee, shall annually notify all administrators, staff and parent group leaders of the specific dates on which events are restricted.
    
3. The Superintendent, or designee, shall annually review the calendar of school events to address scheduling conflicts that may require a parent to choose one child’s school event over a sibling’s school event.

IV.    Definitions

School sponsored event or activity means any after school activity scheduled or sponsored by a school or the School District, including Minnetonka Community Education, PTA/PTO/PTSA activities, athletic practices and contests, fine arts performances, enrichment activities and the like that involve students of the District.

V.    Exceptions to this Policy

Occasionally, there are events held on School District property for which the School District must subjugate its policies to another governing body, including but not limited to the Minnesota State High School League. When such events occur, the Superintendent, or designee, shall advocate for a change on the part of the other governing body; however, the Board recognizes the School District’s authority and influence may be limited for such decisions.

Any exception to this policy must receive advanced approval from the Superintendent.

This policy is not intended to restrict the rental or use of school buildings for activities that are sponsored by non-school groups.