School policy which has banned posting political signs on school property may extend to political parties having rallies at schools.

The question was brought up during the recent meeting of the board of education by Jim Beshearse who said he felt that logically, if materials and signs are to be banned from school property then political meetings should also go.

“Why are we letting the Democrat and Republican parties use the schools for their meetings,” Beshearse asked during the board’s workshop meeting.

Board Chairman W.J. (Dub) Evins echoed his sentiment, pointing out there is a county complex that could host such events.

“The county spent $5 million to fund the county complex,” he noted.

The policy that specifically mentions politics and schools is 1.806 which reads: “Advertising and Distribution of Materials in Schools” states that, “No part of the school system, including the facilities, the name, the staff, and the students, shall be used for advertising or promoting the interests of any commercial, political, or other non-school agency or organization. There are exceptions but those apply mainly to non-profit or governmental agencies that promote education or are pertinent to students’ interest and not for political purposes.”

The discussion came during the same meeting that board members rejected a request from the women’s club for its Spring Blossom pageant scheduled for this April. In that case, questions of insurance and liability made board members think twice about allowing an annual event that is not directly school related to be held at the school. Members further talked about uses of county school buses for after-school activities and agreed to look at making a policy that would shift liability away from the school and also put the focus of cost and overhead on the shoulder of the group using the buses.

The policy also decrees that political literature shall not be distributed through the school to students, nor sent home to parents, nor placed in teachers’ mail boxes, lounges, or on school premises.

“Political signs for people who are running for public office shall not be allowed on school property,” the policy reads.