Junior No Place for Hate officer Delaney Brandt reviews Policy JJA.

Before the 2023-2024 school year began, Academy District 20 (D20) made an administrative decision to alter club statuses in order to change if a club was deemed as “curricular” or “non-curricular.”
According to Policy JJA, non-curricular clubs are those who are not directly related to a school course, or are not qualified to be district run organizations. This decision restricted many considerations such as school funding, advertisement, teacher sponsorships, and certain meeting times.

Clubs such as No Place for Hate (NPFH), Gay Straight Trans Alliance (GSTA), Japanese Club, and more have been affected by these changes.

However, curricular clubs like Air Academy’s DECA or Chemistry Clubs have been unaltered, as they relate to a course. Activities that are seen as part of the school program such as Student Council and Yearbook are also exempt from these limitations.

“For me it didn’t change anything, but I think other clubs, it can make them harder to access,” biology teacher and club sponsor Ms. Hatcher commented.

This newly altered policy has caused many in the district to question the reason as to why it came about.
According to board member Heather Cloninger, the newly hired D20 superintendent may be trying to acclimate herself by means of reevaluating aspects of the districts such as clubs.

“I get where she’s coming from for that,” Cloninger explained. “[However,] I say [students] need a seat at the table, you need more voice, you need to have more inclusion to be making decisions that are then going to be made about you, in my opinion.”

According to an article published by the Colorado Times Recorder, running board member Derrick Wilburn had a conversation in 2022 with other current board members encouraging curricular status changes for GSTA.

“These flyers discussing gender and/or sexuality have no place in our schools and certainly should not be placed in hallways for all to see and read,” Wilburn wrote.

This offered another explanation for the changes, then having given way to large discussions regarding the fairness of this decision, especially with students at Air Academy High School (AAHS).

“It is not a policy that was necessary. Clubs and extracurriculars should be something that students elect to participate in because they enjoy it outside of a school setting,” junior NPFH official Delaney Brandt remarked.

“I’m angry,” sophomore GTSA officer Finn Therrien said. “It takes away a safe space and I feel they’re doing it in an unjust angle and not taking into account how this is going to affect other people.”

Statistics from Air Academy support the students’ opinions. According to school counselor and NPFH sponsor Mrs. Archer, 50.7% of surveyed AAHS freshmen felt lonely in some capacity.

“I’m concerned because there’s just this mental health epidemic right now, where 20% of young people have clinical levels of depression and anxiety,” Mrs. Archer said, arguing that the limitation of clubs might increase these troubling statistics and work against an inclusive environment at AAHS.

Although these clubs may not be disbanded, the lack of advertisement and further restrictions make accessibility to the clubs much more difficult, limiting the ability for students to find places and clubs to feel at home.

When making decisions such as these, it is essential to first consider what D20 itself cites as its values: “We aspire to practice meaningful inclusion, honor diversity and develop a culture of belonging throughout our school community.”

While these changes are still being reviewed, D20 students urge the district to consider the immediate effects on students and their sense of belonging.