San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education
Board Policy 1321
Fundraising/Solicitations
This Board Policy applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.
The Board of Education recognizes the importance of fundraising to contribute to the improvement of school and student programs; to enhance the relationship between the school and the community; and to develop a sense of social responsibility and involvement. Fundraising activities must be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the school’s goals and priorities, and that is accountable and transparent to the school community.
Whether solicitations are made on behalf of the school or on behalf of a charitable organization, students shall not be barred from an event or activity because they did not participate in fund-raising. Potential donors, including parents/guardians and members of the community, should not be unduly pressured to contribute to the school system or charitable organizations. Staff is expected to emphasize the fact that donations are always voluntary.
School-Connected Organizations
The Board recognizes that parents/guardians and community members may wish to organize parent organizations and/or booster clubs for the purpose of supporting district and extracurricular programs, such as athletic teams, debate teams, or musical groups. The Board appreciates the contributions made by such organizations and encourages their interest and participation in supporting district activities and helping to achieve the district’s vision for student learning.
The Board recognizes that school-connected organizations are separate legal entities, independent of the district. However, in order to help the Board fulfill its legal and fiduciary responsibility to manage district operations, any school-connected organization that desires to raise money to benefit any district school or student shall submit a request for authorization to the Superintendent or designee, in accordance with Board policy and administrative regulation related to Solicitations on Behalf of Public Schools. The Superintendent or designee shall establish appropriate internal controls for the relationship between school-connected organizations and the district.
School-connected organizations are prohibited from hiring or directly paying district employees. Organizations may make donations to the district to cover the costs of additional employees, but only if such positions are approved in advance by the Board. At their discretion, employees may volunteer to perform activities for school-connected organizations during non-working hours.
Solicitations during School Hours (Education Code 51520)
During school hours, and within one hour before the time of opening and within one hour after the time of closing of school, pupils of the public school shall not be solicited on school premises by teachers or others to subscribe or contribute to the funds of, to become members of, or to work for, any organization not directly under the control of the school authorities, unless the organization is a nonpartisan, charitable organization organized for charitable purposes by an act of Congress or under the laws of the state, the purpose of the solicitation is nonpartisan and charitable, and the solicitation has been approved by the Superintendent or designee.
In order to minimize interruptions to the educational program, staff shall limit fundraising activities to appropriate time periods designated by the principal.
Solicitations On Behalf of Public Schools (Education Code 51521)
Fundraising activities carried out for the benefit of a public school or student body of a public school must be approved in writing by the Superintendent or designee. The Superintendent shall develop administrative regulations outlining the requirements for approval of a fundraising project or grant on behalf of the public schools or students; and the requirements for accepting gifts or donations.
After the fundraiser has been held, the organization or person that held the fundraiser shall inform the principal and parents/guardians about how much money was raised and how it was spent. If the school conducts a fundraiser, the principal shall inform parents/guardians about how much money was raised and how it was spent.
Raffles
Charitable raffles are subject to the requirements outlined in California Penal Code Sections 320 and 320.5, in addition to any other applicable policy or legal requirements. Raffles must be approved by the Superintendent or designee.
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HISTORY/AUTHORIZATION
P1423 Community Relations – Article 1 – Solicitation adopted: 1969;
revised: January 6, 1976
Policy SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: March 12, 2013 San Francisco, California
Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.