A Seat at the Table: Why Students Belong on School Boards
Embedded Files
Written by Sophia Lee
Photos by BABE VOTE
Published August 18, 2025
Last Updated August 18, 2025
Picture a school board meeting: adults sitting around a polished table, stacks of policy documents in front of them. They are debating budgets, graduation requirements, safety protocols, and curriculum changes, decisions that will directly shape the lives of thousands of students. But there is one thing missing in the room: a student voice.
Across the country, school boards are making choices about education while the people most impacted, students themselves, have no seat at the table. What would it look like if every district made space for a student to sit on their board, not as a token observer but as a real participant in shaping education policy?
Why a Student Seat Matters
Why a Student Seat Matters
Students are the largest group affected by school board decisions, yet they are also the most underrepresented. While parents, administrators, and teachers all have pathways to share input, students are often limited to surveys, focus groups, or the occasional public comment period.
A student seat changes that dynamic. Students bring lived experiences that adults simply cannot replicate. They know firsthand what it is like to navigate a full day of classes, juggle homework and extracurriculars, and experience the pressures of standardized testing or evolving technology. They see how decisions play out on the ground: which policies support student mental health, which ones unintentionally cause stress, and which ideas look great on paper but fall apart in practice.
Equally important, a student seat sends a powerful message that young people are capable of civic participation right now, not just when they turn 18.
Models of Student Representation
Models of Student Representation
This is not just a “what if” scenario, student board members already exist in some parts of the United States.
Maryland: Several counties mandate student members on school boards, and in places like Montgomery County, that student has full voting rights.
California: State law requires school boards to include student representatives, though they typically serve in advisory roles.
Idaho: In 2022, Shiva Rajbhandari, Vice President of Babe Vote, made history by being elected to the Boise School District Board while still a senior in high school. His victory showed that students are not only capable of serving in advisory roles but can also win the trust of their communities to serve as full voting members of school boards.
The key difference lies in authority. Is the student voice truly integrated, or is it treated as symbolic? Districts that provide training, mentorship, and real voting rights tend to see student members make meaningful contributions.
What It Would Look Like in Practice
What It Would Look Like in Practice
A student school board member would:
Attend regular board meetings.
Review agendas and policy proposals.
Raise concerns and insights directly from the student body.
Cast a vote (in voting-seat models) or provide an official advisory opinion.
The issues where students could have the biggest impact include:
Mental health support: Are counseling resources accessible and effective?
School safety: How do lockdown drills or security policies actually feel to students?
Curriculum: Is coursework relevant, inclusive, and preparing students for the future?
Grading and workload policies: Are academic expectations realistic and equitable?
To ensure success, districts would need to provide orientation sessions, mentorship from adult board members, and accommodations to balance school responsibilities with governance duties.
The Benefits
The Benefits
When students have a formal role in governance, everyone wins.
Better policies: Student perspectives highlight blind spots adults may overlook.
Stronger trust: A seat signals that leadership values student voices, improving the relationship between students and administrators.
Leadership pipeline: Student members gain skills in governance, advocacy, and collaboration, setting them up for future civic leadership.
Democratic culture: Early involvement fosters a lifetime of civic engagement. Students who participate in governance now are more likely to vote, run for office, or advocate for their communities later in life.
A Vision for the Future
A Vision for the Future
Imagine a district where students not only learn about democracy in their social studies classes but also practice it by helping govern their schools. Imagine a school board where policies are shaped not just by adults who remember what it was like to be in school, but by students who are living it right now.
A student seat on the board would not just change decisions, it would change the culture of democracy itself. It would signal that young voices matter, that schools are accountable to the people they serve, and that civic participation begins long before the first ballot is cast.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse