VIENNA — The Maries R-1 School Board at its July 25 meeting heard a pitch for joining the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP), but recent reports indicate that adopting the program could impact the district’s funding.

Publications such as Forbes and Fox News Digital reported last week that the United States Department of Education was citing last year’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) to block Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds from schools with hunter education and archery programs.

On Aug. 1, NASP addressed the reports in a Facebook post that encouraged people to spread awareness among archery groups.

“NASP is aware of the current legislation issue potentially affecting archery and hunter education programs in schools,” the post said. “We have been afforded opportunities to provide input regarding the positive impact of NASP on young people.”

The post also said that NASP would monitor the situation and that no definitive answers are available now.

On the same day, U.S. Rep. Mark Green from Tennessee introduced the Protecting Hunting and Heritage and Education Act “to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to clarify that the prohibition on the use of Federal education funds for certain weapons does not apply to the use of such weapons for training in archery, hunting or other shooting sports.”

At the meeting, Tim Simmons and Ethan Murphy presented the idea of starting NASP at Maries R-1.

Simmons began by highlighting some of the data NASP has published. According to the organization’s survey, about 58.2 percent of students polled felt more connected to their school after joining the archery program. About 40 percent of respondents said they had increased school success after joining the archery program. About 22 percent of students said archery was their only extracurricular activity.

“Getting kids involved in stuff has its effect,” Simmons said.

Simmons said another reason he values NASP is because it is inclusive.

“(NASP) makes every effort, and Ethan and I will make every effort, to accommodate,” he said. “Everybody can be involved.”

Simmons added that archery is individualized.

“(At tournaments) you’re not really shooting against anybody,” he said. “You’re shooting to do it for yourself.”

One of the major points of the presentation was safety. Simmons said he did not know if the board members had been to an archery meet, but they had all probably seen the madhouse that is a middle school basketball game.

“At an archery meet, when these whistles blow, you could drop a pin and you’ll hear it,” Simmons said.

“It’s clockwork versus chaos,” Murphy said. “It’s very regimented, and it’s practiced and rehearsed in every practice that we do with the students because safety is the number one priority.”

Both Simmons and Murphy are certified archery instructors. They said they would teach the program if the board approved it. Simmons added that he is a certified first responder.

Board president Kacie James asked if either of them has a CDL because the district is short on activity bus drivers.

Simmons said he would not want the district to provide a bus. Parents would need to take participants. The only time the program could need a bus is if they go to the state tournament.

Board member Mike Kleffner asked when the archery students would practice.

Simmons said the group would participate in two tournaments per month from December through March. During those months, they would practice one day per week in the little gym.

Another goal Simmons has for the program is for Vienna to host a tournament. He said it would be a “huge money-maker for the school” that could also cover the costs of new supplies as targets and arrows wear out.

Kleffner asked what age groups the program would include.

Simmons said the program would be available for students from fourth to 12th grade.

Murphy said they had estimated starting numbers of around 15 to 20 students per elementary school, middle school and high school.

Simmons said students must follow archery’s code of conduct to participate in the program. At the start of practice time, he plans to lock the door. If students showed up late, they could not enter.

“I can’t have people getting hurt,” he said. “I can’t have kids walking in at 6:01, 6:05, 6:10.”

Murphy added that the coaches would escort everyone to and from the gym at the beginning and end of practice to avoid having any stragglers wandering the halls.

James said she understood the safety importance, but she wanted to ask if students would be kicked out of the program for showing up late to a practice.

Simmons said late students could not attend that night’s practice, but they would not be kicked out for missing a practice.

Parents would be unable to attend practices. Simmons said opening practices to parents could lead to younger siblings coming, too, and he did not want that risk. Murphy said they would like to have one or two parent volunteers to help as chaperones for bathroom breaks or other reasons to leave a practice.

Board members said they understood. Superintendent Teresa Messersmith said volunteers would need to have background checks.

Simmons said he would like to include Visitation Inter-Parish School students in the program.

Kleffner said that should be fine because those students already participate in activities such as basketball and track at Maries R-1.

When the discussion concluded, Messersmith said that a vote on introducing NASP would be on the agenda for the Aug. 22 board meeting.

Late last week, Messersmith said in a phone interview that the board “might have to rethink” joining NASP.

Many hunting and conservation education groups have been told that funding will be pulled under the guise that federal guidance has interpreted the BSCA that was passed last year to exclude federal funding to school hunting and archery programs.

Maries County R-2 School District has operated a successful archery program, ran by local teachers with the assistance of local Missouri Conservation agents. Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham said on Aug. 2 that she heard about the interpretation of BSCA changes to funding for school programs on the radio and reached out to the district’s contact with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

“We don’t believe it is going to impact our district but we are waiting for confirmation from DESE,” Basham said.

Basham said she has reached out to several contacts to ensure the continued stability of the district’s program.