Myers Park Traditional Elementary Rock — Guidelines

The decorating of Myers Park Traditional Elementary’s Rock is subject to Board Policy S-SFRS – Student Free Speech.  Nothing in this school-based policy should be interpreted to contradict Board Policy in any way.

Content/Subject Matter for Spirit Rock Messages:

Spirit Rock messages may address only the following subjects:

●      Celebrations that apply to the whole school or school events

●      Birthdays of students

 

Reservation, Approval, & Access

●      Who may paint: The spirit rock(s) may be painted by current Myers Park Traditional students, their parents/guardians or other immediate family members, school staff, or third-party artists hired by students or staff.  A list of suggested vendors can be found on the PTA website.

●      How to reserve: The rock(s) will be reserved through the Signup genius which is linked on the PTA website. The reservation must be approved by the Principal through this [Google Form].

●      When: Reservations run from 5 p.m. on the selected day, through 5 p.m. on the following day.  Only the reserving party may paint during that window.  Messages may be displayed for more than one full school day only if there are no valid applications to paint the Spirit Rock(s) on subsequent school days.

●      Approval: The Principal has final approval of spirit rock reservations.  The Google form must be submitted 10 days in advance.

●      Frequency: Families may reserve the rock(s) three times throughout the school year. The school will paint the rock(s) for Quarterly House events and school-wide celebrations.  Again, the reservation must be approved by the Principal.

 

Paint & Safety Rules

●      If students are painting the rock(s), they must provide written permission from their parent/guardian, and the parent/guardian must sign an assumption of risk form.

●      Only latex/water-based paint may be used. No spray paint near vehicles or sidewalks; protect grass with a drop cloth.

●      Do not paint sidewalks, trees, buildings, or the ground around the rock.

●      No ladders/scaffolding may be used without prior approval from the principal; paint only the rock surface you can reach safely.
 

Restricted Speech:

As explained in Board Policy S-SFSR, depending on all the facts and circumstances, the school may deny student applications, paint over messages painted on the Spirit Rock, or otherwise restrict student expression on the Spirit Rock if the planned or actual message falls within one of the following categories of the speech as described in Board Policy  S-SFSR (1) Disruptive Speech, ( 2) Speech that Invades the Rights of Other Students, (3) Profane Speech, and (4) Promotion of Illegal Drug Use.  Please see Board Policy  S-SFSR for further description of each of these categories.

Enforcement & Maintenance

●      The Spirit Rock(s) may be painted over if this policy, Board Policy S-SFSR, or any other school system policy is violated.

●      Violations of this policy and/or Board Policy S-SFSR may result in loss of reservation privileges and/or disciplinary consequences per the CMS Code of Student Conduct, provided that any such consequence will be administered fairly, objectively, and without regard to viewpoint.

Questions:

Elizabeth Carrubba
Principal

elizabeth.bickerton@cms.k12.nc.us