FILE: DK
ACTIVITIES FUNDS MANAGEMENT
Student activity funds are those funds raised or collected for school-approved student groups, gate receipts, and student activity card fees. The Vermilion Parish School Board shall require all student activity funds to be collected and expended for the purpose of supporting the school's extracurricular activities program. Student body representation should be encouraged whenever possible.
The principal of each school shall be responsible for all school/student accounts. The principal may assign one or more school staff member(s) to share the responsibility for assuring that accounting records are maintained in accordance with regulations and procedures established by the Superintendent and/or staff. The system of accounting for school monies shall be in conformity with the district accounting procedures. The principal, however, shall have the ultimate responsibility for supervising the accounting functions to be performed at the building level.
GUIDELINES
Implementation of accounting procedures in the schools shall be the responsibility of the school principal. The procedures shall assure:
The proper identification of monies belonging to various groups and organizations or monies raised and designated for various purposes.
Proper crediting of deposits.
Safeguarding of cash and prompt deposits of all monies.
Proper authorization before ordering goods and services and before the payment of invoices. Goods and services to be ordered, which shall require payment over a period exceeding ninety (90) days, shall be approved before ordering by the Superintendent.
Payment of bills by check, signed withdrawal forms by sponsors as authorized by the principal.
Prompt payment of bills.
Each principal shall submit monthly school financial statements and shall prepare a financial report annually. These reports shall be available for School Board review any time the School Board deems necessary.
FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
The Vermilion Parish School Board recognizes that citizens, students, School Board personnel, other persons and organizations may wish to express support for a particular school, or school system, by participating in school-sanctioned fundraising activities. The School Board shall require that such fundraising projects be conducted so that they do not interfere with educational objectives and community standards.
Any school club or organization shall request permission from the principal and approval of the Superintendent or his/her designee prior to engaging in a fundraising activity. A Request for Fundraising form must be submitted prior to any fundraisers being approved. Approval must be attained before any advertising, dissemination of materials, or social media posts about the event occur. Approval for these activities should take place well in advance of the event.
At the completion of the fundraiser, a Fundraiser Completion form will be completed by the sponsor of the fundraiser. This will signify that all accompanying materials and plans for spending, as requested on original form, are put into place.
In addition to the guidelines above:
Each school will be limited to two (2) school-wide fundraisers in which the entire student body may be used for selling purposes.
The School Board shall not permit door-to-door solicitation or sales involving students regardless of grade level. This does not prohibit off-campus sales under the supervision of faculty, booster groups, or other adults.
Only full-time, appointed employees may coordinate fundraisers.
CHARITY DRIVES
Schools conducting fundraisers for any charitable organization need to get prior approval from the Superintendent or his/her designee.
ONLINE FUNDING CAMPAIGNS
Online fundraising campaigns (crowdfunding) refers to the process of soliciting or requesting a specific gift or donation utilizing the Internet, an online service, or website-based program for the financial benefit of the Vermilion Parish School Board by any school, classroom, grade, department, or curricular or extracurricular group or activity under the jurisdiction of the Vermilion Parish School Board. The use of online fundraising campaigns shall be permitted in Vermilion Parish schools under the following guidelines:
All requested online fundraising campaigns must be reviewed and approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee.
The designated administrator must ensure that the proposed crowdfunding campaign does not violate any federal or state law, including those governing the confidentiality of student information, and that the campaign seeks donations that comport with the School Board’s educational philosophy, needs and technical infrastructure.
The online fundraising services must be designated on the "Request for Fundraising" form. Approved services shall be those that send donations directly to the School Board, not to the teacher, to ensure that donations are not diverted or misused. The School Board shall also determine if participation with a given online fundraising site obligates the School Board to assume any responsibility to file government-required reports of charitable activities.
Donations shall be used only for the stated purpose(s).
No donations shall be accepted without School Board approval.
All online fundraising donations shall be the property of the School Board, to be entered promptly into the School Board’s property inventory or deposited in School Board-approved bank accounts so that they are subject to normal financial oversight and auditing by School Board personnel.
The Superintendent and administrative staff shall be responsible for developing and maintaining pertinent regulations and procedures governing all online fundraising campaigns and activities.
SCHOOL CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
The School Board shall require all activity funds generated by a club, organization, association, class, athletic team, or any other organization within the school to be deposited into a school fund bank account. Separate records of all financial transactions of the school fund account shall be maintained by the principal for each group. No monies shall be drawn on the school fund account without a request for withdrawal which carries two (2) signatures, one of which shall always be the principal's. No withdrawal shall occur unless the check carries the signature of the principal, or the administrator who assumes his/her duties during his/her absence.
The records of the school account shall be reconciled monthly, and a written report shall be prepared by the principal and submitted annually to the Superintendent or his designee, who shall review and consider the report for approval and notify the principal accordingly. The School Board may require and provide for an audit of the school fund of any school within its jurisdiction at any time.
BOOSTER CLUBS/OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS
Funds generated by an entity outside the school, such as a parents' club, community, business, civic or other similar type of organization, are considered to be independent funds under the exclusive control and supervision of the club or organization. The School Board, however, shall require all such funds, when expended for any school function, activity, or purpose, to adhere fully to all state and federal statutory and regulatory provisions.
In addition, the School Board may place restrictions on the donation and usage of any monies by an outside source, i.e. club, organization, or entity, to a school or School Board-related entity. Specifically prohibited shall be the donation to an individual employee of the School Board anything of economic value in the form of money, personalized articles, automobiles and/or their use, travel, entertainment or vacations. The School Board reserves the right to examine the provisions of any and all prospective donations to a school or School Board-related entity to ascertain the propriety of the donation.
Adopted: July 20, 2016
Revised: September 17, 2020
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:414.3, 51:224
Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators, Bulletin 741, Louisiana Department of Education
Board minutes, 5-3-01, 7-20-16, 9-17-20
Vermilion Parish School Board