On Thursday, Sept. 12, several clubs from Amador attended the PUSD School Board meeting. The topic at hand was California Ed code 6145, which requires clubs to have a certificated teacher or PUSD staff member traveling to events and competitions with them.
“The district, knowingly or not, is propped up by the successes and efforts of student-led clubs. It would be a mistake to leave board regulation 6145 as it is right now. Not just a mistake. The district would be shooting itself in the foot,” said Parsa Hassanpour Dargah (‘25), president of Amador’s Speech and Debate club.
Ed code 6145 states that, “all extracurricular activities conducted under the name or auspices of a district school or any class or organization of the school, regardless of where the activities are held, shall be under the direct supervision of certificated employees…Any non-certificated person working with students in a district-sponsored extracurricular student activity program shall possess an Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.”
One important consideration, however, is that this is California education code rather than just district policy.
“We are currently doing some legal research on what kind of flexibility there is,” said Patrick Gannon, PUSD Director of Communication.
In the past, student clubs were able to travel with co-advisors, mostly parents who had achieved the necessary clearance level. However, with the enforcement of Ed Code 6145, these parent co-advisors no longer meet the requirements.
“In the past, we have relied on dedicated parent co-advisors to supervise us during the week-long event[s]. However, under the current regulation, our teacher advisor, Ms. Barnett-Dreyfuss, is required to attend competition[s],” said AV Botz officer Nikash Ramakrishnan (‘25).
The existence of the policy isn’t a new concept, but the enforcement is.
“The policy already existed and implementation wasn’t happening. We understand it’s an issue now. It’s unfortunate that this is how this came up,” said Gannon. “We want to work with students, and teachers, and families to find a solution because we absolutely agree that our students deserve to have opportunities that they work very hard for.”
At the board meeting, Amador students, teachers, and parents spoke up to advocate for these clubs. Many clubs now face the possibility of foregoing events if they cannot find an available teacher to attend.
“It is unreasonable to depend on another district employee who would be willing to take a week-long unpaid absence from their home, family, and friends, simply to babysit a group of teenagers, especially when we have parents willing to step up,” said Ramakrishnan.
Clubs cannot pay teachers to attend these conferences and competitions, making it difficult to find willing, credentialed chaperones.
“The AV Botz team travels to the international RoboSub competition each summer for a week. That’s a full seven days that I would be away from my family. Some have suggested that if I feel I cannot attend, that I just ask another teacher. But they wouldn’t want to go either. Don’t suggest that an administrator go. Amador tends to be a little short-handed on those. So I’m asking the board: which of you would like to go in my place?” said Bree Barnett-Dreyfuss, a physics teacher who also advises three clubs at Amador
Representatives from AVHS award-winning clubs like AV Bots, Speech and Debate, Science Bowl, and more spoke up at the meeting. The board room was full of teachers, parents, and students alike.
“Yes, this affects me, but it most importantly affects all of our underclassmen, all of the people who haven’t been able to be part of an Amador club. They haven’t had the opportunity to experience not only debate, but all of the other clubs. Let’s not break a system that has always worked in the past. Let’s not sacrifice our students,” shared Jessica Liao (‘25), external vice president of Speech and Debate.
Only a small percentage of Amador’s clubs participate in off-campus competitions and events. However, the policy greatly affects clubs that do travel. The clubs that travel are requesting that the School Board makes amendments to the policy.
“We are respectfully asking the board to amend regulation 6145 to allow dedicated parent co-advisors to chaperone our club in order to ensure that AVHS students have the opportunity to compete in various different competitions that align with their interests,” said Harshita Keerthipati (‘25), co-president of the Amador Valley Technology Student Association.
The next school board meeting will take place on September 26. Eager to see what decisions are in the works, many are likely to attend.
Saul • Sep 18, 2024 at 9:40 pm
That’s an amazing article I love it! I totally agree these clubs should not be bound by these rules