Should we add a youth body to the KPS school board to inform and influence board members in the decisions they make that affect our schools?

The school board for the Kalamazoo Public Schools district makes decisions regarding the way KPS schools are run and how money and resources are allocated in the district and which policies entail what. As of lately, there has been a push by students to have more input on decisions made by the school board. From this desire to have a say in decision-making sprang the youth group, Teens Responsible for Upholding Equity, otherwise known as TRUE. TRUE is a student-led group aimed at eliminating racism in KPS and holding the school board accountable for making equitable decisions for all students. Students outside of this group are also calling for a seat at the table when they’re the ones being affected in the end.

Senior Kody Ivy said, “Yeah, we definitely should. It would be like an inside source of information, and only students could truly capture how other students feel and [what they] go through everyday. It’s different for staff.”

Senior Jane Heystek said, “Yes, I think many students feel that their voices and opinions often go unheard by the school board, and by having a youth board, students would be able to actively participate in discussions relating to decisions made by the school board. The actions of the school board most directly affect the students, so fostering student input is very important.”

Sophomore Rishabh Bhattarai said, “I think so, yeah. But I think the school actually had that last year, the school council or something similar. I was on it with a bunch of other people from other grades and we did exactly that.”

Social Studies teacher Jay Peterson said, “I think it would be a great idea to have a student voice and perspective on the board of education. The only concern I would have is related to [decisions regarding] student [discipline] and personnel matters.”

Appreciate

Credits:

Created with images by geralt - "learn school student" • athree23 - "board chalk head"