City Roots Homeschool Co-operative Policies and Procedures

Membership
1. Member expectations
  1. Uphold the values of City Roots Homeschool Cooperative (known throughout this document as CRHC) as stated in the Mission and Vision Statements
  2. Honor all applicable Rights and Responsibilities
  3. Contribute meaningfully to the best of each family’s ability through class offerings, meet-ups, and resources.
2. New Member Joining Procedures
  1. New Members may join CRHC at any point in the year.
  2. Before joining, New Members must meet with at least one Member of the Governance Committee or identified representative either virtually or in person
  3. New Members must complete a New Member Registration form.
3. Prospective Member Policies
  1. Prospective Members are invited to any public CRHC events including all Park Days and any other recruitment/public events as shared on the open Facebook group (City Roots: A St. Louis Homeschool Community).
  2. Prospective Members are welcome to join the open Facebook group (City Roots: A St. Louis Homeschool Community) while considering Membership to learn more about opportunities and the community.
Teacher/CoTeacher/Chaperone
1. Members who teach must adhere to the Rights and Responsibilities document and all following items. Non-Member Teachers must adhere to the following items.
2. All classes must be held in a safe learning environment. If you are unsure if your virtual or physical space meets these standards, please contact the Governance Committee. A safe learning environment is defined as one that meets the following:
  1. Supervised by at least two unrelated adults for in-person events.
  2. Free from bullying, name calling, and harassment.
  3. All participants appropriately clothed.
  4. Parents/guardians welcome to sit in (off-screen if necessary in virtual spaces) to supervise whenever desired.
  5. Free from hazardous materials, weapons, toxins, drugs (medical or otherwise), or other harmful materials.
  6. All reasonable efforts should be made to teach in a safe, structurally sound space.
3. All classes must be led by adults who meet reasonable standards of safety and care. We operate on an honor system of meeting these expectations:
  1. No relevant or recent history of violent behavior or predatory behavior (sexual or otherwise) without a clear demonstration of restitution and recovery.
  2. No history or demonstration of discrimination against marginalized communities or individuals without a clear demonstration of restitution and recovery.
  3. Behavior must remain safe, respectful, and attentive. If substance, emotional, psychological, or situational interference prevents upholding these requirements, the Teacher should step away from teaching duties until interference is resolved.
  4. Governance Committee holds the right to use their discretion on who is allowed to teach.
    1. All decisions will be made with the best interest of the entire family and the group’s safety in mind.
    2. Resources from external organizations will be provided to help address issues whenever possible.
4. Communicate individual needs (in case of injury/illness, emotional distress, interpersonal conflict) according to the following procedure:
  1. Speak to CoTeacher/Chaperone about needs and accommodations.
  2. Notify Governance Committee for ongoing or unresolved concerns to begin the Grievance Process.
Student
1. Adhere to the Rights and Responsibilities document.
2. Communicate individual needs (in case of injury/illness, emotional distress, interpersonal conflict) according to the following procedure:
  1. Speak to Teacher/CoTeacher/Chaperone about needs and accommodations.
  2. Speak to Student Government representative (if operational) for ongoing or unresolved concerns.
  3. Notify Governance Committee for ongoing or unresolved concerns to begin the Grievance Process.
Attendance/Absence
1. For Teachers
  1. If a Teacher must cancel a class or class meeting, every effort should be made to inform caregivers of participants in advance and to communicate with families to determine the best response (make up class, skipping content, combining content in another day, refunding fees, etc.).
2. For Students
  1. In the event that a student must be absent from class for illness, emergency, or planned conflicting obligation, every effort should be made to communicate absence to Teacher(s) in advance and to make up any necessary work to ensure class quality and continuity can be maintained.
  2. If a student knows in advance that they will miss any number of sessions of an ongoing class, the student and/or their caregiver should discuss absences with the Teacher before enrolling to ensure class quality and continuity can be maintained.
  3. If a student knows in advance that they will miss a significant number of sessions of an ongoing class that has a waitlist, student and/or their caregiver should consider relinquishing spot.
Course Content
All course content must meet the following requirements:
1. Secular -- While there are many definitions of secular, we use an adapted definition from Secular, Eclectic, Academic Homeschoolers:
  1. Secular curricula can and often will discuss the influence of religions and religious beliefs on historical events.
  2. Content that does not posit, present, or endorse religious beliefs, texts, philosophies, and teachings as factual.
2. Nondiscriminatory -- Overall course context and goals should not discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability/neurodivergence, religion, or socio-economic status. If discriminatory content is included, the fact that it is discriminatory should be acknowledged meaningfully and used explicitly toward the goal of revealing discriminatory historical events or patterns of behavior in a developmentally appropriate way.
3. Ethically and Legally Utilized -- If using teaching materials, curriculum, worksheets, etc. created by someone other than yourself, please make sure you are adhering to copyright and terms of usage set by the copyright holder for that material.
4. If you are unsure if your content meets these standards, please contact the Governance Committee.
5. Governance Committee holds the right to use their discretion on what content is allowed in courses.
  1. Governance Committee may review course descriptions for potential conflicts and reach out to Teachers to find resolutions in advance of class start date when possible.
  2. Response to content that does not meet the standards will focus on education and the chance to revise teaching approach whenever possible.

Class Scheduling/Enrollment
1. Timeline
  1. Class/event offerings will be listed on a rolling basis and shared with the membership at large.
2. Randomized Course Admission
  1. All classes and activities offered as a CRHC offering must be open to all Members in good standing who meet the course requirements. Classes with an enrollment cap should accept enrollees on a first come, first served basis or run a lottery. Method for determining enrollees should be announced in class description.
  2. Teachers with more interested participants than available slots are encouraged to keep a wait list and offer any available spots to those on the list.
3. Cost
  1. CRHC Members are encouraged to offer at least one (1) class at no cost to learners or their families. Every effort should be made to keep costs as low as possible to make courses accessible.
  2. CRHC Members offering classes through CRHC cannot charge a fee for their own time spent teaching those classes.
  3. CRHC Members offering classes with a guest speaker may charge a fee to compensate the speaker for teaching time.
  4. Members are welcome to share outside opportunities with associated costs.
  5. Any class or meet-up with an associated fee is handled individually by the teacher leading that class.
Advisement

Members are encouraged to contact the Governance Committee should they have questions about how to uphold the policies and procedures. The Committee will review the questions and contact Members with resources and suggestions as applicable.

Communication
1. The primary communication method will be via Facebook, but can be changed by a simple majority vote of full member body if necessary due to technology changes or member concerns.
2. Two separate Facebook group accounts will exist: the City Roots: A St. Louis Homeschool Co-op and City Roots: Official Members.
  1. City Roots: A St. Louis Homeschool Co-op will have the following guidelines:
    1. Purpose -- To provide a place for publicity, general discussion, announcements promoting recruitment events (such as park days or information sessions), and registration deadlines.
    2. Membership Eligibility
      1. Current Members.
      2. Former Members.
      3. Prospective Members.
      4. Individuals with professional connections to homeschooling.
    3. Restrictions
      1. Must agree to adhere to Mission and Vision Statement.
      2. No discriminatory or hate-filled language.
      3. No posting of event locations other than those specifically open to Prospective Members and/or the public at large.
      4. No posting of personal identifying information about other Members or their families.
      5. No tagging or posting of names of people in photographs without permission.
      6. No self-promotion for anything unrelated to homeschooling.
      7. No excessive self-promotion of any kind.
      8. No deleting posts or comments except group moderators deleting posts or comments that violate content policies.
  2. City Roots: Official Members
    1. Purpose -- Sharing pertinent and official information between Governance Committee and member body such as deadlines, votes, position vacancies, housing governance documents, etc.; planning events, classes, and activities between Members; sharing photographs and class summaries.
  3. Membership Eligibility
    1. Current Members in good standing.
    2. Renewal forms will be due by September 1 of each year. Any members who have not responded will receive notification via email and Facebook messages. If there is no response within three weeks, they will be removed from the group but can rejoin later with a complete Renewal Form.
    3. Members whose Membership lapses will be removed from the group by October 1.
  4. Restrictions
    1. No discriminatory or hate-filled language.
    2. No disclosure of personal information such as medical issues, personal contact info (address, phone, email), full names, or birth dates, disability status, financial status, or grade/age mismatch about other Members or their families without specific permission from those Members.
    3. No self-promotion.
    4. No deleting posts or comments except group moderators deleting posts or comments that violate content policies.
    5. No screenshots or personal information from the group should be shared with Members outside of the group.
3. In addition to Facebook, e-mails will be also be sent to Members in good standing for the following:
  1. Official votes (one vote per family; sent to email chosen on registration form).
  2. Any issue the Governance Committee feels is particularly pressing or serious.
  3. Dissemination of official Governance Committee meeting minutes upon request.
4. Website [Under Revision]

CRHC will also have a website with relevant information on deadlines and upcoming events.

Finances
1. Scholarship/Hardship Opportunities
  1. Individual members running a class or event with an associated fee are encouraged to create Scholarship/Hardship opportunities, which can include offering tiered payment options.
  2. If available, the Governance Committee can be contacted about funds available in the General Scholarship Fund (all requests for use will be kept anonymous from general membership).
2. Spending -- Governance Committee can approve spending for events, supplies, and operating expenses.
Grievances and Discipline

A Grievance is a complaint in the case of violations of the governing documents. If there is a problem between members, members should attempt to work it out between themselves. If the problem persists or is unsafe to work out directly, please bring concerns to the Governance Committee.

Disciplinary Actions

If a member is found to be in violation of any governing documents (Bylaws, Policies and Procedures, Rights and Responsibilities), they may be subject to disciplinary actions. These include the following:

Potential Disciplinary Actions
1. Written Statement

At the discretion of the Governance Committee, a member may receive written notice of violation of governance documents and a formal request to take corrective action.

Mediation Meeting

A mediation meeting may be called by any member witnessing violation and requesting resolution.

Member who witnessed violation may participate in Mediation Meeting.
If the situation warrants it, a written witness statement can replace presence at Mediation Meeting.
Witness can remain anonymous upon request.

Limited Participation

At the discretion of the Governance Committee, violations of governing documents may result in limits placed on participation for a specific amount of time determined at the discretion of the Committee. These can include but are not limited to the following:

Revocation of ability to offer classes in private spaces.
Revocation of ability to act as Teacher/Co-Teacher/Chaperone/Volunteer.
Revocation of ability to attend classes/events
1. In specific locations.
2. With specific Teachers, Chaperones, or students.
3. In any format.

Suspension of Membership

At the discretion of the Governance Committee, violations of governing documents may result in suspension of Membership for a specified amount of time ranging from 1 week to 1 year.

If an individual member of a family is suspended from Membership, other Members of the family who remain Members in good standing can still participate.
Suspension of Membership may include bans from presence at events even if other family Members continue to participate if deemed necessary for the safety of the group.
Upon completion of suspension period, Governance Committee member notifies suspended member that suspension period has ended, discusses the situation, and takes any additional action deemed necessary.

Revocation of Membership

At the discretion of the Governance Committee, violations of governing documents (Bylaws, Policies and Procedures, and the Rights and Responsibilities documents) may result in revocation of Membership.

If an individual Member of a family has Membership revoked, other Members of the family who remain Members in good standing can still participate.
Revocation of Membership may include bans from presence at events even if other family members continue to participate if deemed necessary for the safety of the group.
Grounds for Revocation of Membership include but are not limited to:
1. Criminal action
  1. Evidence of criminal action that violates the CRHC Mission and Values committed by a CRHC member may be reported to law enforcement.
  2. Removal for criminal action is determined by the Governance Committee, who will use sound judgment based on the impact the action has on the member’s ability to remain a safe contributing member of the community.
2. Repeated violations of governing documents (as defined above) without efforts to take corrective action.
3. Acts of physical, verbal, or emotional violence against another member or against any person during a CRHC activity of any kind, public or private.

Documentation of Disciplinary Actions

Any disciplinary action taken will be communicated and documented through the official Governance Committee email. Records of communication will be maintained for a minimum of ten (10) years to ensure historical accuracy and transparency.

Governance Committee
1. Duties
  1. All Members of the Governance Committee shall assist other Governance Committee Members and Subcommittees as needed.
  2. Each Governance Committee member will have access to an official City Roots Facebook page used to make official announcements.
  3. Each Governance Committee position will have access to the primary email account.
2. Meetings
  1. Frequency of Meetings

Governance Committee meetings will be held on a monthly basis or as needed, whichever is more frequent.

Location of Meetings

Governance Committee meetings will be held at a location within city limits that requires no purchase or admittance fee. Meetings can also be held virtually.

Open Meeting Policy

Governance Committee meetings will be open to all Members in good standing.

Guests can stay for all open portions of the meeting, which will be at the top of the agenda if applicable.
Closed portions of the meeting will be limited to Governance Committee Members only.
Agendas will be published 2-5 business days in advance of meeting and note open/closed agenda items.

Procedure for Moving an Item to Closed Meeting

An agenda item may be moved to the closed portion of the agenda via simple majority vote from Governance Committee Members in attendance.

Closed agenda items may include the following:
1. Grievance discussions.
2. Disciplinary actions.
3. Any item the Governance Committee agrees (by simple majority vote) is a matter that needs to be closed for safety or privacy concerns.

Notetaking and Dissemination Policies

All Governance Committee meetings shall be recorded with the resulting audio file or a text file stored in a location accessible only to Governance Committee Members. These files will be kept for a minimum of one (1) year.

Voting

All Governance Committee Members who are present for the entire discussion of an agenda item are eligible to participate in any vote taken on that item.

Definition of Present

Governance Committee Members are considered present if they are physically in attendance at the meeting or attending synchronously via technological means.

Voting Process
1. A vote shall be held with a simple raising of hands for aye/nay unless a member moves for anonymous voting.
2. If a member moves for anonymous voting, voting shall be conducted with simple paper ballots in which all Governance Committee Members circle yes or no using the same writing utensil.

Recusal
1. Self Recusal

From time to time, a Governance Committee member may feel that their personal situation or connection to the circumstances prevents them from acting impartially. In these instances, the Governance Committee member shall recuse themselves by announcing their recusal as soon as possible. In the event of recusal, the voting measures laid out in the Bylaws are in effect.

Forced Recusal

If a Governance Committee member does not recuse themselves but the remaining Governance Committee members feel a recusal is appropriate, they may unanimously vote to recuse that member.

Recall

In the event that a Governance Committee member is no longer upholding their duties or adhering to the requirements of CRHC, the remaining Governance Committee Members can recall the Governance Committee member by unanimous vote. Reasons for recall can include but are not limited to the following:

Any violation that would be grounds for Revocation of Membership.
Voluntary termination of Membership.
Ongoing inability to fulfill duties.
History of repeated forced recusals.

Safety
1. Visitors and Guests

From time to time, guest educators and learners outside of CRHC may be invited to participate in classes, field trips, and events. The following policies apply:

Members coordinating non-member educators are responsible for ensuring that the guest educator has agreed to the Rights and Responsibilities of Teachers and is willing and able to comply.
Coordinating Members should remain present during guest educator sessions to ensure the Rights and Responsibilities of Members are not being violated.

Adult Presence in Classes
1. In virtual, it is the parents/guardians responsibility to monitor their child’s participation to the level they feel comfortable doing so. Parents/guardians are also encouraged to review course materials and bring any questions or concerns directly to the teacher offering the course before signing up.
2. For in-person events, teachers will specify parent participation requirements (drop-off, parent involvement, parent on duty, etc.)

Privacy

CRHC aims to provide a safe learning and social environment that protects the privacy of all Members while allowing Members to document activities and showcase the group’s work and community. In an effort to balance those interests, the following policies govern the use of personal information and photographs:

Class Locations
1. Class, activity, and field trip locations, dates, and times shall only be announced in official communication channels that are restricted to member-only access.
2. Exceptions to this policy include:
  1. Events that are open to the public and Prospective/New Members (such as park day or informational events).
  2. Classes that a CRHC Teacher opens to the public or to another group in an effort to fill open slots.
Photographs and Video/Audio Recordings

Photographs and video/audio recordings are an important part of sharing what CRHC does and a way for families to document their educational journeys. CRHC recognizes that Members will be taking photographs and video/audio recordings at many events. The following policies help protect member privacy.

No photographs or video/audio recordings shared on the open Facebook page (“City Roots: A St. Louis Homeschool Community”) shall include identifying information such as names or be “tagged” without permission of the family pictured.
Photographs and video/audio recordings of events may be shared by any member in the closed Facebook page. Members may be tagged. Members should avoid posting with negative intent.
Members may request removal of photographs or video/audio recordings containing their family members.

Personal Information
1. Personal information on any member (such as grade level details, disability, disciplinary matters, etc.) should not be shared outside of the group.
2. Sharing of personal information within the group should be on an as-needed basis with specific educational goals (such as between a Teacher and Co-Teacher brainstorming class strategies).

Liability

CRHC does not carry liability for accidents, theft, injuries, damage, death, or any other types of losses that occur during CRHC classes, field trips, or events.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

CRHC recognizes that the needs of the group will change and that meeting the goals of the Mission and Vision Statement will require continuous review and revision of all governing documents. The following policies are put into place to ensure a clear, transparent, and systematic process of continuous improvement:

Routine Document Review and Revision

All major governing documents will be subject to regular, routine review and revision on an as-needed basis. Previous versions of all documents will remain in effect until new revisions are fully approved by the revision requirements laid out in the Bylaws.

Definitions Addendum

In the context of this document, the following terms carry these specific meanings.

Chaperone - an adult member who accompanies/monitors underage Members during events/meetups.
Co-Teacher – an adult member who assumes a supportive role in the class.
Co-Teachers may provide some instruction/guidance to the students, or they may function primarily as a second unrelated adult in the room to enable compliance with safety protocols.
CRHC – an initialism representing City Roots Homeschool Co-op.
Discrimination - the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of country of origin, disability, gender identity, homeschooling philosophy, immigration status, neurology, race, religion, sexual orientation, sexuality, or socioeconomic status.
Harassment - aggressive pressure or intimidation by any means. Types of harassment include but are not limited to physical, personal, discriminatory, psychological, sexual, and cyberbullying.

No Cost - a class or event is considered to be “no cost” when there are no fees or specialized materials required from the learner to fully participate in the offering.
Secular - content that does not posit, present, or endorse religious beliefs, texts, philosophies, and teachings as factual. Secular curricula can and often will discuss the influence of religions and religious beliefs on historical events.
Structurally sound - a building or location which generally complies with local safety regulations and has not decayed, deteriorated, or been dangerously damaged.
Teacher – an adult Member functioning as the lead for a class, event, or meet up. Teachers generally organize events, select curriculum/activities, and is actively engaged in instruction of students/attendees.