Starting this fall, student organizations will face new DCPS guidelines on club formation and operation. In a mandatory Club and Activities Advisory Meeting in mid-September, leads and sponsors were told that clubs, new and old, must submit an annual application to be approved.
Students and sponsors were also reminded to submit official social media accounts for verification by administration, and that all content must be monitored by club sponsors. Likewise, flyers promoting organization events also require pre-approval by the administration.
The mandatory meeting and new policies follow discordance between student leaders and school administration last winter and spring.
In December, the administration removed posters advertising an Arab Student Union screening of the documentary, “The Occupation of the American Mind.” The administration claimed that the ASU did not follow proper guidelines for flyer approval. However, many student leads and sponsors mentioned that in the past these guidelines weren’t always strictly enforced.
“Last year, my impression was that the admin had a more casual attitude toward how clubs worked,” said senior Adam Stomberg, student lead for the Dungeons and Dragons Club.
Senior Ryan Hutchinson, second-year president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and co-president of the Psychology Club, echoed these sentiments. Regarding flier approval in previous years, he said that he “checked everything with the sponsors, but never had to officially check with the administration.” He also said he had never had to attend a mandatory advisory meeting before.
In previous years, the advisory meeting was optional and “for the sponsors, and not our student leads,” Dionne Clemmons, Coordinator of Clubs and Afterschool Activities, said.
She said the meeting was mandatory this year because of new DCPS guidance.
“The advisory meeting was to clarify the requirements outlined in the new guidance provided by the District. We wanted to make sure that everyone knew what was required of them,” she said. DCPS student organization guidance, social media guidelines, and a link to submit flyers for approval are now linked on the school website.
Ashley Bryant, co-sponsor of the Youth and Government club, said that clear and enforced guidelines about club registration and flyer approval are useful. “It is really helpful to have streamline processes, so I am in support of more cohesion,” she said.
Student leads are concerned whether the policies will hinder the efficiency of clubs when advertising events.
“If these are events that might be happening on short notice, or fewer people planned them, it might be more difficult,” Stomberg said, regarding the flier approval process. Per DCPS policy, flyers must be sent to administration five days before the event.
Clemmons said that these policies shouldn’t affect clubs’ ability to advertise, and she stressed the efficiency of the approval process. “I don’t think this is a negative thing,” she said.
