Student Member

Editor: I'm writing to offer an argument against the editorial collective wisdom reflected in the "Let 'em vote" appeal found in the Wednesday, Aug. 17, edition of The Aegis . The Aegis seems to agree with the assertion of the current occupant of the student seat on the Board of Education that "What's the point of his membership if he can't vote?" It seems that no one has attempted to answer that question except to assume that there is no purpose. I propose that the current occupant is unqualified if he sees no purpose; he could be conducting surveys of students to determine issues of importance for him to bring to the attention of the Board; at the meetings he can listen carefully and report to students on all issues before the board; he can ask questions and make his findings from surveys known to the board.

In Howard County, there is very little student involvement in Board of Education decisions, despite the fact that we have a Student Member of the Board who advocates for us. But how can we know that the students of Howard County schools are being represented in the best way for them, if we have no contact with him. I am working to make interaction between the students of Howard County and the SMOB mandatory. At least once a month the SMOB must go to a high school, and talk to the students in an open assembly after school, about upcoming BOE decisions, and get their opinions on what improvements they want to see in their schools.

The Carroll County Student Government Association is accepting applications from current ninth- and 10th-grade students interested in serving as the student representative-elect on the county Board of Education for the 2013-14 school year. The student representative is elected by the CCSGA for a two-year term. This year's student member is O'Reilly Miani, a senior at Francis Scott Key High School. During the first year, the student representative-elect will shadow the current representative to learn the responsibilities of the position.

Arundel High School junior Christian Hodges was recently selected to serve on the Maryland State Board of Education as its student member, a position that places another item on his already loaded agenda. The 17-year-old from Odenton will serve during the 2013-2014 school year, with his appointment formally taking effect July 1. Hodges is already known in five states for his penchant for multitasking. He currently serves on the Region 2 advisory council of the National Association of Student Councils, representing students from Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Even after placing her name in the running to become the next student member of the Anne Arundel County school board, Broadneck High School junior Else Drooff wasn't certain she wanted the job. In fact, she said so during her campaign speech. "Up until that point, I've always done a little bit of everything," said Drooff, a four-time recipient of the Carson Scholarship Fund Award, an honor given to students who maintain good grades while being active in their communities. Initially, she said, she was reluctant to make a commitment to the school board but "realized that this is something that I really wanted to put all of my time into.

While reading the article on Allen Dyer's fight to stay on the school board I found two major questions came to mind. Why is a high school student who is not elected by the voters of Howard County able to vote on the Board of Education? School is a time of learning, and the process of being voted in by classmates and other high school students is great learning experience. However, at 16-18 years of age, Alexis Adams does not have the maturity she will have 20, 30 or 40 years from now, which puts her at the same age of those elected by taxpayers onto the board.

Jeff Lasser and Josh Michael got a late high school graduation gift Thursday when the Howard County Board of Education unanimously approved legislation to be sent to the General Assembly that would give students a voting voice in school policy. The two recent graduates of Howard County high schools attended Thursday's board meeting and watched the culmination of months of planning, arguing and compromising at the school system level. "It means a lot to see the whole process move forward," said Lasser, a former student member of the school board and a graduate of Atholton High School.

The Maryland General Assembly has taken three actions that affect the Howard County school system, including one that would allow the student member on the Board of Education to vote on some matters. Another would enact a mandatory union fee for the majority of system employees, and a third would increase funding for construction projects. House Bill 513, which grants voting rights for the student member, and House Bill 881, which allows unions to charge a service fee to the majority of employees in the school system, require final approval by Gov. Martin O'Malley to become law. For the past year, the student voting rights issue has been hashed out within the school system.

The question of whether Carroll County's school board should allow its student representative to have a vote that counts toward the panel's decisions is one that Brendan Schlauch would like to have answered. Schlauch, this year's student member, informed the board's five elected members at a recent board meeting that in the coming months he plans to make a formal proposal seeking voting privileges for future student members. "There are many issues that affect the students," Schlauch said in an interview recently.

As a student member of the Howard County Board of Education, Jeff Lasser's vote on policies has symbolic meaning but does not affect the outcome. Lasser would like a more hands-on role on issues affecting students, and he is proposing that the student member's powers be expanded to include partial voting rights. Currently, while the five adult members of the school board cast votes on issues including graduation requirements and school boundaries, Lasser's opinion is recorded but not counted.

Even after placing her name in the running to become the next student member of the Anne Arundel County school board, Broadneck High School junior Else Drooff wasn't certain she wanted the job. In fact, she said so during her campaign speech. "Up until that point, I've always done a little bit of everything," said Drooff, a four-time recipient of the Carson Scholarship Fund Award, an honor given to students who maintain good grades while being active in their communities. Initially, she said, she was reluctant to make a commitment to the school board but "realized that this is something that I really wanted to put all of my time into.

The Carroll County Student Government Association is accepting applications from current ninth- and 10th-grade students interested in serving as the student representative-elect on the county Board of Education for the 2013-14 school year. The student representative is elected by the CCSGA for a two-year term. This year's student member is O'Reilly Miani, a senior at Francis Scott Key High School. During the first year, the student representative-elect will shadow the current representative to learn the responsibilities of the position.

Old Mill High School junior Nick Lefavor was elected several months ago as the next student member of the Anne Arundel County school board. And though he says he's familiar with the issues affecting county students, he's taking a couple of summer programs to fine-tune his leadership skills. Through the programs, Lefavor said, he hopes to learn much about board decorum. "I hope to learn about how to compose myself and handle myself in a professional manner," he said. "I hope to learn some more ways to relate to all people.

Despite a barrage of public comments, many negative, Maryland State Board of Education members said Tuesday that they will push forward with plans to reduce the use of long-term suspensions and expulsions in student discipline. "Everybody gets that kids need to be in school," said board President James H. DeGraffenreidt Jr. "The question is how do we do that?" The board received more than 200 written comments after asking for public input when it released a report in late February, detailing proposed changes that would reduce suspensions for nonviolent offenses.

Newly appointed Baltimore County school Superintendent Dallas Dance has picked a transition team that includes two former state superintendents and a college president among the 21 individuals who will guide him in the first three months of his job. Beginning in June, the team will meet to review the school system and give Dance its thoughts on the strengths of the system as well as areas that may need to be improved. Dance drew his team from several states, picking Nancy S. Grasmick, the former Maryland school superintendent, and William Bosher, the former Virginia superintendent, to lead the team.

Having a father in the United States Air Force has forced Cole Rosenberg to adjust to new surroundings. Moving eight times can do that. "I've gotten good at making friends from the activities I'm involved in," said Rosenberg, a junior at Hammond High School in Columbia. "I remember the names and faces and build relationships from there. " Rosenberg wasted little time building relationships since moving into Howard County last summer. He became active in student government functions and in sports, and decided to run for the 2012-2013 position of student member on the Board of Education.

The Howard County legislative delegation will vote this session on voting rights for the student member of the Board of Education. The bill was approved Thursday night by the Board of Education and was the subject of a public hearing by the county's delegates and senators in Ellicott City. Howard's legislative delegation will consider the measure and vote on it. If approved, the bill will move to the full General Assembly for consideration. The bill generated discussion at the Board of Education meeting and later at the Howard County legislative delegation's public hearing at the George C. Howard Building on Thursday night.

Supporters of suffrage for the Howard County school board's student member run the gamut. From alumni to teachers to local politicians, they made their argument loud and clear to the school board last week. "Student leaders have demonstrated their worth," said Rosemary Mortimer, a former president of the Howard County PTA Council. "Give them voting rights. They have earned the right and will serve us well." The public hearing on a proposal to grant partial voting rights to a student board member drew 26 speakers, a high turnout considering most hearings on policies bring out fewer than a handful of people.

  The Baltimore County school board on Tuesday night voted down a new discipline policy that would have attempted to reduce the number of suspensions. The new policy, first discussed by the board in February, was designed to encourage staff and teachers to intervene with students before they are suspended and would give principals more flexibility in how they deal with bad behavior. Baltimore County has one of the highest suspension rates in the state with about one in 10 students sent home for bad behavior each year.   A disproportionate number of African American and special education students are also suspended.

Del. Tony McConkey, a Severna Park Republican, is sponsoring four bills in the General Assembly that would give Anne Arundel County residents the right to choose at least some members of the school board. McConkey says his ultimate goal is to see voters select the entire nine-member school board. For now, he is seeking a formula that would scrap the current process, in which eight board members are appointed by the governor from a list of nominees submitted by a county panel. The ninth member, a high school student, is selected by the county's Chesapeake Regional Association of Student Councils.