BOARD POLICY 852

852         -     Sponsorships

The Board of Education accepts and approves sponsorships that benefit the District, its schools, employees or students by the District accepting money, goods and/or services in exchange for the District acknowledging the sponsor's contribution. The Board recognizes that it would be financially beneficial to allow the sponsorship of the District, its schools, school programs, Interscholastic Athletic programs, extra-curricular activities, and other school activities, events, publications, TV channel, newsletter, news releases, etc. in exchange for the District's acknowledgement of such sponsor's contribution. However, all sponsorships shall meet the criteria set forth herein which provides, among other things, that the sponsorship shall not be contrary to the District's mission, conflict with Board Policy or undermine the District's educational objectives. No sponsorship shall be construed as or constitute an endorsement by the District, Board or school of the sponsor or its product, service or program, etc., and the Board, and the schools reserve the right to refuse or decline the offer of any sponsor for any reason.

Sponsorship is defined as a person, company, business, corporation or other entity providing money, goods and/or services to support the District, its school, school activities, etc., in return for the sponsor receiving an acknowledgement by the District or school indicating that money, services and/or goods were donated by the sponsor or the activity was sponsored by or sponsored in part by the sponsor.

Acknowledgement is defined as the recognition of the support provided to the District or a school by the sponsor. An example of the Acknowledgement of a Sponsorship is the placement of a sponsor's logo or the sponsor's name, address, web site, internet address on the District's web site, a yearbook, newsletter, program of an event, etc. Acknowledgement does not include endorsement, price information or an indication of savings or value and/or quality of the sponsor's product or services, such as the sponsor has the lowest prices, makes the greatest product or that the sponsor is having a sale. No sponsorship, regardless of its monetary value, may be considered for approval without an Agreement between the sponsor and the District regarding the form, number and/or duration of the acknowledgement(s) to be provided. Such Agreement may be, for example, to print an acknowledgement of the sponsorship on the printed program for each home football game during the currentschool year, or to display the sponsor’s name on the scoreboards in the football stadium at the high school for an agreed upon period of time. An Agreement with a term of more than one year shall also indicate whether the Agreement will extend to the sponsor’s successors, heirs, administrators and assigns.

For purposes of this policy, paid advertising in school publications are not considered sponsorships.

Cross Ref.:  Administrative Rule 852 - Sponsorships

Approved:  April 17, 2008

Reviewed:  May 13, 2011

Reviewed:  March 3, 2012