Giving Students a Voice: A Missed Opportunity We Should Revive

Most people in our community (and I suspect even some sitting board members) don’t know this, but Saucon has a policy on the books that gives high school students a formal seat at the table with the School Board. I didn't know it either until just a few days ago.

Policy 004.1 (Student Representation), last revised in 2019, allows for one or more high school students to be appointed as non-voting representatives on the School Board. According to the policy, these students are expected to:

• Attend public Board meetings and share the perspective of their peers.

• Communicate between the student body and the Board, strengthening transparency and trust.

• Learn Robert's Rules of Order, gaining real-world experience in how local government works and how formal meetings are conducted.

• Present student proposals through an official chain of command, starting with the Student Council to the principal, to the superintendent, and finally the Board.

This is a really unique chance for students to see how decisions are made and to practice civic engagement. It's gives these individuals a chance to represent their classmates and help shape discussions at Saucon.

Unfortunately, while this opportunity exists (and was recently updated), it hasn't been utilized for years. While we occasionally hear from students who provide specific updates or summaries, there are no high school student representatives sitting with the Board at each meeting.

This raises some questions for me:

• Do our students even know this policy and opportunity exist?

• Has the Student Council even been encouraged to nominate a representative?

• If students are aware but not interested, what could we do to make the role more appealing?

Parental & Community Involvement doesn't stop with adults or taxpayers. Our students are just as much members of this community, too. They should be encouraged to participate and help shape discussions about their school. Likewise, Educational Excellence doesn't just happen in the classroom. This type of experience provides an additional opportunity to teach, instill responsibility, and help build future leaders.

If this policy just isn't being used, how can we revive it? Here are some suggestions I would offer.

1. Promote the Opportunity - Make sure the high school and Student Council regularly announce the availability of this role so students know it exists.

2. Incentivize Participation - Recognize student representatives at graduation, highlight their service in district newsletters, or offer community service hours.

3. Mentorship Pairing - Pair the student representative with a willing elected Board member to provide guidance and make the experience less intimidating.

4. Create Visibility - Allow the student representative a few minutes at each meeting to provide a report, student perspectives, or find other ways to ensure their presence feels meaningful.

Sometimes it's not about creating new policy but simply following the ones we already have. This is an outstanding opportunity for our high school students to share their day-to-day experiences of our schools and they deserve to have it both available and actively promoted.