There is a difference between discrimination and safety.
In example there is no discrimination on buying a gun but public safety has deemed the age to purchase as 18or21
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Age discrimination is legally associated with discriminating against folks over age 40. Not preventing youth from accessing dangerous equipment. Liability insurance often sets lower age limits for various risky activities.
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Back in my day i took shop class at that age and we did run tablesaws and band saws. We also did not eat tidepods. oh how times have changed.
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My son made the coolest wooden birdhouse last fall in his high school woodshop class ( he was 14 then). Im looking forward to seeing more of his work.
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Now now @Frank, very few kids were that foolish. Iām pretty sure every generation had some do some really stupid things. We could probably go on for hours sharing stories.
@jwithers you should share what your son makes in a separate thread!
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I would reach out to Mike Atherton and Aaron Rivers respectively. They may be interested in hosting classes geared to a younger crowd.
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It sounds to me like there are some volunteers here who want to form a policy committee. If we can get 5 of you together, I can add that to the calendar.
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A policy committee would be great. Weāre currently doing that with The Art Council and The Haysville Library board, as noone has reviewed the By-laws and Policy/ Procedure since before the pandemic. Weāre in the same boat. I believe our Alcohol Policy is in conflict with or Badge Suspension policy which is not a good place to be.
It seems like part of the issue is that this was introduced and passed within a span of 8 hours. Therefore no one could react really, positively or negatively. Even the seemingly emergency alcohol policy had a few days before it was implemented.
I donāt disagree we need one - I donāt see anything in the Wichita ordinance that says āOh you donāt have one? You now canāt be held liable!ā
We used to have a policy committee.
It seems a bit knee jerk from outside the board, but they may have felt they needed to get something down quickly. By all means, committee up and refine the lingo. These documents are OUR documents, and the board probably appreciates help.
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I thought the Alcohol Policy was settled. Guess not.
How does the Alcohol Policy conflict with the Badge Suspension policy?
Yes, the issue it intended to address is that we do not have one and one is required.
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The alcohol policy was not an āemergencyā. I realize that it was characterized as such on the Forum but it was deliberated over until consensus was built amongst the Area Leads, Directors and Board. The Alcohol policy was in response to an escalating series of events in the Wood Shop which presented a clear lack in our policy and a potential liability for our organization. The Policy was presented at a special meeting so that we could deliberate more deliberately on the policy without the distractions that would come during a typical board meeting.
This allowed us to give greater time to input from the members that came to the meeting to voice their opinion. In the end we crafted and put in place a protective structure for the organization.
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Ultimately, MakeICT is a representative democracy and through the voting and nomination process power is given to the Board by the membership to make decisions which affect the organization. While we hope that it is in the interest of the organization as a unified body we have to recognize that there will always be minority dissent. I think that MakeICT does a very good job for an organization our size of being transparent and welcoming to member opinion by having our meetings live, by engaging with and listening to member opinions at Board Meetings, by having quarterly member meetings, and by having an open committee system that advises the Board. I also recognize that not everyone is going to be happy.
I think a non-discrimination policy is an easy win for MakeICT.
I am not surprised but am a little flummoxed that this policy has been met with this level of consternation, criticism and nit picking.
I hope that you will join us at Board meetings in the future so that you may be apprised of our decisions in real time and able to proffer opinions then. In the end though Sherry solved this in post #3.
A non discrimination policy is required of all 501(c)(3) organizations by the IRS.
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A non discrimination policy is required of all 501(c)(3) organizations by the IRS.
This statement has been repeated but I canāt find it anywhere, and I consider myself at least decent at google-ing things. The closest Iāve found is this which seems like a blanket statement but even what they cite directly only applies to schools. The larger 501 IRS guide also only cites it for schools or 501c7 orgs. Iām willing to learn. I just want the basis for any of our policies to be solid.
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Your link does seem to cover the need.
We are classed as a charitable foundation, however, our mission statement directly references education and in some ways we operate as an institution of learning (LaDeanaās earlier point).
I will add that we shared the non-discrimination policy with our Insurance carrier and they were very appreciative of itās institution.
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The original paperwork for the 501c3 had us listed as a learning institution.
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Here are a few links with more details, in addition to those already posted above. Remembering that ignorance of a law does not exempt one from following the law, that the laws for non discrimination are ever widening, and that applicable laws originate from more than one governmental agency, it behooves us to be proactive rather than waiting for someone to prove to us it is legally required. I believe everyone who has posted challenges to the policy have also stated that they donāt disagree we need one. Please feel free to present in a separate thread (simply for clarity) or to the board (or any member thereof) directly specific requests for changes.
Additionally, a more specific Code of Conduct is in consideration. It would be most productive to provide input in advance. This can either be accomplished by requesting to join a potential committee (so far we lack an adequate number of people who want to participate) or by providing specific input to myself or another member of the board. @AaronD @shack
I appreciate everyoneās input so far.
Sherry
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Per the Key policy to regain access you must submit another Key Application Form or get a Key Assignment Form from Security. Per the alcohol and Drug Policy the first offence is automatic, on the second offense you must apply to the Membership Committee for its return. The last record of a Membership Committee meeting is August 10, 2021 and there are currently no membership committee meetings on the calendar. Membership Committee - MakeICT Wiki
https://wiki.makeict.org/wiki/Key_Policy
Regaining key access
If a memberās key is revoked, they can request another one by filling out another Key Application Form and submitting it to the Board of Directors.
Special cases
The Key Application Form process can be bypassed with a Key Assignment Form filled out by the Lead Security Officer.
https://wiki.makeict.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_Drug_Policy
Corrective Action for violation:
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First offense a member will lose key access to the makerspace for a period of 14 days.
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Second offense a member will lose key access to the makerspace for a period of 3 months and must make an application to the Membership Committee for its return. During this period they may not use any tools or equipment while in the makerspace.
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Third offense will result in the revocation of membership at MakeICT. A member may apply to have their membership reinstated after proof of successful completion of a drug or alcohol abuse rehabilitation program or suitable plan to prevent recurrence has been supplied to the Security Committee.
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