Policy Details Page
Policy No. 3515
Student Incentive
The Tacoma School District Board of Directors recognizes that providing students with prizes or awards can serve as a meaningful incentive for increasing academic achievement, promoting civility, encouraging physical fitness, and for encouraging students to become responsible citizens, productive workers, and lifelong learners.
The Board supports awarding incentives to recognize a student’s academic, social, leadership or athletic achievements.
All incentives will support or celebrate student achievement within the districts’ curriculum programs, academic performance or attendance goals.
Incentives will not be monetary in nature and the district will consider cumulative annual award amounts equal to or less than $25.00 dollars to be de minimis. The aggregate limit on annual expenditures at a school is $500.00 or $2,000.00 for a department.
This policy does not allow for the distribution of gifts to students. Gifts, as defined in Article VIII, Section 7 of the Washington State Constitution, are items given to an individual or a group that are not earned and are for the personal use of the recipient. Gift certificates, gift cards, and cash are considered gifts and are not allowed.
CORPORATE AND EXTERNAL INCENTIVES
Corporate incentives provided to the district for the benefit of students become district property. If the incentive is made to an individual student directly by the corporation, the incentive becomes the personal property of the student and is not calculated as an incentive provided by the district. In order to be considered personal property, the incentive at no time may be presented to the district or be in the possession of the district. Any vendor, group or organization that offers student incentives to support the district, must communicate with the district, prior to providing the incentive, to ensure its efforts are compatible with the district's educational goals. The district reserves the right to reject any student incentive that would not serve the interests of the district. Prizes or awards provided to the Associated Student Bodies (ASBs) by outside vendors must also fall within the individual and district de minimis limits.
Cross Reference:
- Policy 6700 Nutrition and Physical Fitness
- Regulation 6700R Nutrition and Physical Fitness
- Policy 6114 Gifts
- RCW 28A.320.030 Gifts, conveyances, etc.
- WA State Constitution Article VIII Sections 5 and 7
Approved: 10/27/2016