|
The
School Meeting
At
The Clearwater School all decisions about the day to
day operations of the school are made in the School
Meeting. Each student and staff member has one vote
in the School Meeting. Meetings are held weekly and
attendance is optional, but decisions made in School
Meeting must be followed by all members of the school.
The issues brought to School Meeting range from the
mundane to the profound. The agenda can include decisions
that range from cleaning procedures, to whether to allocate
funds to purchase a new computer, to policies governing
school activities.
All school rules are created and changed in School Meeting.
No one individual or committee can make decisions about
how the school operates, unless the School Meeting first
grants them that authority. There is no director, no
head teacher, nor an administrator with veto power.
The School Meeting is the decision making power at the
school, and the School Meeting consists of the whole
school community.
The importance of School Meeting extends beyond the
time spent in weekly meetings. School Meeting is the
voice of the community. Many of the issues raised in
weekly meetings spark weeks of discourse. Discussions
begun in School Meetings are debated throughout the
week as new perspectives are sought in order to make
informed and responsible decisions.
At the School Meeting students and staff learn how to
get things done, how to present ideas clearly and convincingly,
and how to rally a supportive group to lobby for a cause.
The skills gained through observing and participating
in School Meeting are long-lasting and immediately applicable
in the outside community.
School Meeting decisions reflect the values and priorities
of the community as a whole. Students choose for themselves
how involved they want to be in votes and experience
the direct consequences of those decisions. Their choice
at school parallels the choice all democratic citizens
face. At times, students decide that participation in
issues at the School Meeting is more important than
other activities. At other times, students choose to
pursue other activities and leave decisions to those
who attend the meeting. In either case, everyone is
responsible for following the decisions made in the
meeting.
Occasionally issues are deemed so important that input
from all school members is necessary. When this happens,
a Mandatory School Meeting is called. Any member of
the school may call a Mandatory Meeting and all members
present must attend. Mandatory meetings are usually
called to make major policy decisions or to address
difficult and serious problems.
Students and staff are responsible to find out about
and follow new rules that are passed by the School Meeting.
The School Meeting minutes, upcoming votes, and the
agenda for upcoming meetings are posted weekly. New
rules passed at School Meeting are transcribed into
the rule book.
|
