Student input in the policies that shape their education is critical to the efficiency of the institution and quality of their education. However, more often than not, students are left out of the conversations that construct said policies. As an involved and active student in my school and an avid lover of politics, I have become more and more interested in the education policies of our school district. A couple weeks ago, I went to my first school board meeting. It was clear that something’s got to change.

Being an opinionated and loud-mouthed person by nature, I have always been a huge proponent of student voice. I believe that if a school board is truly doing work for the best interests of students, they should be actively consulting with students to learn what they could be doing better or how they can truly be serving the genuine needs of the students.

However, as I sat through the meeting, I did not feel like that was taking place.

Principals from various schools presented and had new classes and electives passed through the board.

One of the board members asked a principal if he had asked students what they wanted; he didn’t have a clear answer to this blatant, yes-or-no question.

In another instance, a board member began to go on a tangent about students and grades and she stated, “I could probably ask 100 students about what they would think and they would probably say….”

Key word: “probably.”

Although one could argue that the responsibility for student outreach should be on the student representatives to school board, that is just not true. The job of the student rep is to update the board on the happenings and events taking place at school. It is unfair to those student representatives to have to assume the position of being a voice for thousands of students when they too are just that: students.

It may be more common with smaller school districts, but TTSD should consider the construction of a student advisory council to the board. These councils typically consist of appointed or applicative seats where students are given the opportunity to inform the board of concerns within the student body or review policy before it is implemented. Just as students are deserving of the right to feel represented, the board should be actively attempting to elevate the student voice in any means.

Whether it be through a student advisory council or not, there must be a systematic approach to this issue that survives in the long run.

It is not a complicated idea, bringing students into the conversation. The meetings are about us. The policies affect us. The money is for us. Students deserve a say when the quality of our education and the foundation of our future is in the hands of this board and elected officials.