To the dismay of many parents, the North Putnam School board voted in a new policy regarding sleeping arrangements for overnight, school-related trips during the March 17 school board meeting.

The board approved Policy 7.26 Overnight trips, which allows administrators, at their discretion, to make room assignments as they see fit; including keeping boys and girls separate. The board also made it clear that there are never less than three students per room, with the goal being four students per room, and that parents have the right to pay additional room fees if they would prefer their child to room alone.

However, many parents felt this policy was too vague; worried it would open doors to allow co-ed sleeping arrangements. Several parents voiced concerns of the policy, including concerns over transgendered students being placed in a room with the same gender they identify as instead of the gender they were assigned at birth.  However, the parents were speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting; which happens at the beginning, before the topic is fully explained, and parents are given precisely three minutes to speak and no more. While many parents asked for clarification so they could speak during the public comment portion, they were ignored. The board said nothing to them besides stating the policy would be discussed later or that their time to speak was over.

When the policy was finally discussed, the board went back and forth with questions with some board members attempting to ask the same questions the parents were asking. Rachel Mandeville went as far as to suggest an additional line or permission slip allowing parents to voice who their child can and cannot room with. However, Superintendent Dr. Nicole Allee was concerned about the student “no one wanted to room with.”  She did not want students to be any further stigmatized than what they might already be, even if that stigma is imagined by the student. Her goal is to make the students feel safe at school functions and allow them all the same rights the federal government allows them.

While the board felt the ambiguity was enough to allow staff to use discretion for sleeping arrangements, one parent was not so pleased. A father was escorted out of the meeting by Officer Ronnie Campbell at the request of School Board President Travis Lambermont shortly after the father started shouting and calling  Lambermont a liar.

After finalizing the details and making it clear there will always be at least three students per room and that administrators, who knew the children best, would make their best judgment call, Policy 7.26 was voted in to the North Putnam policy for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond.