During the 2022-2023 school year, clubs ran every day after school, and students were free to join as many clubs as they liked. Now, for the 2023-2024 school year, new policies have been instituted that resulted in changes to the way students have been able to get involved in clubs.
White Station clubs are now required to abide by two new policies; one requiring signed permission forms and the other dictating the days clubs can meet. The forms require a parent or guardian’s signature to join the club as well as information about the student for club sponsors to have.
“But, I kinda like it in the sense that there’s more, I mean, it’s a little bit more safety on the part that I have information that if anything were to happen to somebody, I would be able to contact someone,” Key Club sponsor Elizabeth Kirby said.
These forms are required by Tennessee Law in the State Statutory Rights of Parents and Students, which was revised November 2022.
“No school shall permit a student to become a member or participate in any activities of a club or organization if the parent or legal guardian of such student has tendered a written communication prohibiting such student from such membership or participation. In order to be valid, the written communication shall be signed and dated by the parent or legal guardian” (Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-1031).
Further restricting club members, clubs are now only allowed to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This has limited the number of clubs students can join, as well as the number of days that clubs are allowed to host meetings and activities.
“It’s really difficult. I’m in a lot more other clubs, but I can’t really go to those meetings [because] I’m an officer in Key Club now,” Riley Reeves (12) said.
Students have been forced to choose which clubs to participate in, which has resulted in less membership for certain clubs. Students must decide which clubs are most important to them and leave the others behind.
“A few of the officers can’t show up to some meetings, I’ve noticed,” Reeves said. “I know there’s a lot of people … who can’t do a volunteer event because they have another club. Seems like all clubs like to meet on Tuesdays instead of Thursdays, so I have to give up a lot of … clubs I actually enjoy doing instead of, like, stuff that will, like, be good for college resumes.”
The new policy has left some students with more free time after school and blank calendars for the rest of the week. With clubs not running on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays, some students struggle to find other activities to do after school.
“You used to be able to join a ton of clubs, like do a ton of stuff you like, now it’s just Tuesday and Thursday is clubs and the rest of the week you just have nothing,” Reeves said. “You just do nothing.”