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An Act To Protect Access to Outside-of-school Enrichment Opportunities
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §4013  is enacted to read:
§ 4013. Enrichment opportunities outside of school
A school administrative unit may not:
 
1.  Prohibit student access.     Prohibit a student from accessing any legal academic, athletic, cultural or other enrichment opportunity outside of school unless the school administrative unit determines that involvement of the student in the enrichment opportunity interferes with the student's ability to meet the academic standards of the school administrative unit; or
 
2.  Prohibit staff involvement.     Prohibit or otherwise restrict a teacher, coach, other employee or school volunteer who has written authorization from a student and the student's parent from involvement in any of the opportunities identified in subsection 1 unless:
 
A.  The school administrative unit determines that involvement of the student in the enrichment opportunity interferes with the student's ability to meet the academic standards of the school administrative unit; or
 
B.  The enrichment opportunity is sponsored by a corporate or other entity and the teacher's, coach's, other employee's or school volunteer's involvement is inconsistent with the educational policy of the school administrative unit.
 
SUMMARY
This bill establishes that a school administrative unit may not prohibit a student from accessing outside-of-school enrichment opportunities unless the student is failing to meet academic standards and that a school administrative unit may not prohibit or otherwise restrict an authorized school employee or volunteer from involvement unless the student is failing to meet academic standards or the enrichment opportunity is part of a corporate sponsorship and the employee's or volunteer's involvement is inconsistent with the educational policy of the school administrative unit.