Royal Valley board reviews KASB policy for funerals on school grounds

A proposed policy update from the Kansas Association of School Boards regarding the use of school facilities for funerals prompted some discussion from Royal Valley Board of Education members Monday evening.

The updated policy from KASB recommends that the use of school facilities for funerals be discouraged and that if a request is made, it should only be considered if the service is scheduled after school hours or on the weekend.

The policy also recommends that the school superintendent handle all requests for funerals and memorial services and report to the board whether he or she has approved the request.

School districts throughout the state regularly receive recommended updates to board policies from KASB. The individual boards, however, are not required to approve those updates.

RV Superintendent Aaric Davis reported to the board that, currently, the district does not have a policy regarding the use of school facilities for funerals.

It was reported that the last funeral held at the RVHS gym was in 1997. An informal request was made to Davis regarding the use of the gym for the recent funeral of Hoyt firefighter Mike Schultz, but since the gym floor had just recently been waxed, it was unavailable to serve as the site for the service, Davis said.

Board member Jeff Stithem said his family utilized the RVHS gym for his father’s funeral.

“From my personal experience, had we not been able to use the school, there was no facility large enough nearby for us to hold the service,” Stithem said. “I agree that we shouldn’t cancel school for a funeral, but being the largest facility in most small towns, I think we ought to have the flexibility to allow people to use it. It is taxpayer money that funds the school so I think we need to be open to the idea of people using it.”

Davis said that the KASB policy doesn’t ban funerals but instead allows for flexibility for the public to use the school for funerals if necessary.

“I am not opposed to it,” Supt. Davis said. “I think there are times when having a funeral there is the right thing to do. The only caution is once you set a precedent, you have to keep up with it. There are scenarios in my head where I don’t think a school would be the best place to have a funeral. But I don’t have a problem leaving it open.”

 Board member Jim O’Toole agreed.

“I think that psychologists and psychiatrists discourage people from having a student’s funeral in the school because the kids will associate that death with that gym or wherever it’s held,” O’Toole said.  

The board members will continue to review the proposed policy and the other recommended changes from KASB and may take action on the recommendations at their next meeting, which is set for Aug. 22.