BUSD approves intersession camps with B&GC

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The Bonsall Unified School District board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Boys and Girls Club of North County to provide intersession camps during school breaks and non-school days for BUSD students during the 2023-2024 school year.

The BUSD board voted 4-0 Nov. 15, with Pascal Lapoirie absent, to approve the MOU. The school district will pay the Boys and Girls Club $25 per enrolled student for each day although if the student is present five days in a week the cost will be $100 per student.

“This is about opportunities for kids,” said BUSD Superintendent Joseph Clevenger. “We continue to ensure that students have access to learning.”

A previous agreement was approved in November 2022 for the 2022-23 school year. “Their staff is outstanding. We’ve had a really positive experience with the Boys and Girls Club, and we’re excited to continue partnering with them,” Clevenger said.

The intersession camps will be held at Bonsall Elementary School. Registration will be open to all BUSD students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. Students who register will receive a membership to the Boys and Girls Club which grants them access to that organization’s programs.

The Boys and Girls Club of North County will provide camps with daily enrichment activities which will include academics, physical education, social and emotional development, and life skills. “We’ve expanded it in some areas,” Clevenger said.

The daily enrichment activities will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Camps will be provided from Jan. 2 to Jan. 5 and on Jan. 8, from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23, from March 25 to March 29 and on April 1, from June 10 to June 14, on June 17 and June 18, on June 20 and June 21, and from June 24 to June 28.

The Boys and Girls Club will provide adequate staffing and materials and will also keep accurate attendance records and ensure that students are signed in and signed out each day. Camp participants will also receive lunch and a snack on a daily basis.

In addition to the $25 per student per day payment, the school district responsibilities include providing adequate classrooms, restrooms, and outdoor space for each site and taking steps to ensure that school staff and Boys and Girls Club staff have a collaborative relationship with each other.