644 Procedure: Community Resource Persons

I.    Request Form

A.    The staff member planning to use a speaker as a resource will submit, in quadruplicate, a Guest Speaker Request Form (Appendix A) to the Principal at least five (5) school days prior to extending the invitation.

B.    In emergencies, or for good cause shown, a teacher may submit the Guest Speaker Request Form to the Principal with less than five (5) days notice.

II.    Denial Procedure

A.    The Principal may reject a guest speaker only upon a determination that:

1.     The presentation is not relevant to the subject matter of the course.

2.     The speaker is not qualified.

3.     The speaker's presentation would be logically impracticable for reasons such as cost and school calendar.

4.     The teacher has not followed the procedure of this Policy 644 – Community Resource Persons.

5.     If one side of a controversial issue, the teacher has failed to provide evidence that other views of the issue will be adequately addressed or presented to the students through other speakers, materials, films, books or other media.

6.     The speaker is inappropriate to the chronological, intellectual, or emotional development of the students.

B.    If the Principal denies the teacher's request, the Principal must immediately notify the respective Assistant Superintendent of the denial.  If the denial is affirmed by the Assistant Superintendent, the Principal must notify the teacher of the denial within two days and indicate the reason for the denial on the "Guest Speaker Request Form".

C.    In the event the building Principal denies a request for a guest speaker, the speaker will not be invited to address the class(es) intended unless and until the Principal's denial is overturned by the Assistant Superintendent, or the Superintendent upon appeal.

D.    Appeal from denial of guest speaker invitations will be made in writing to the Superintendent of Schools within two (2) school days of the date of the denial by the Assistant Superintendent.

III.    Permissible Materials

Guest speakers will be permitted to hand out information or materials to students being addressed, subject to prior approval by the Principal.  The Teacher extending the invitation is to acquire the materials and submit them to the Principal with the “Guest Speaker Request Form” (Appendix A).  Teachers are accountable to the Principal to demonstrate that all written or printed materials or handouts provided to the students by guest speakers are related to the subject matter presented.

Appendix A: Guest Speaker Request Form