School board OKs Anime Club, talks privacy

The Havre Public School District Board of Trustees met Tuesday to discuss allowing an anime club to be formed at the high school and talk about a policy that concerns conduct of staff and faculty on the Internet.

“It’s exciting when students come forward to start new clubs at the high school,” said Craig Mueller, the principal at Havre High School.

Vicki Proctor, who teaches business at the high school, will be the club adviser. Hope Proctor gave a presentation on what students would be doing.

She said the purpose of the club was to explore the cultural value of anime, which is a mainly Japanese animated form of storytelling.

The club would watch episodes or movies of anime and then take time to discuss them.

No district funds will be used for the club.

The majority of the board voted to pass it. Harvey Capellen opposed the anime club.

Superintendent Andy Carlson talked about online safety and went over the first reading of the new technology protocols.

He said the district is not looking for “gotcha” moments, but they need to be safe in who has access to administrators’ or faculties’ devices lest private information be leaked. The district also needs to be wary of what they post online due to many of the children in the school district having access to their social media.

Another issue the district needed to be wary of is the children whose parents have decided their photos cannot be put on the Internet. Employees of the district need be wary of how liberal they are in allowing or taking photos with students in them.

This was the first reading of the protocol, and the board will hear the second reading at its next meeting, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m., at Havre Middle School auditorium.