Recently, the districts of Alameda County, the city of Oakland and the city of Berkeley all implemented the right for 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections. In my opinion, higher levels of student representation is needed at Walnut High School that targets issues that are not encompassed by the decisions of student government.
I am not specifically advocating for the direct voting of students for the school board like other schools have implemented. Rather, I am proposing that students should have a larger voice in school decisions. Factors such as the school calendar, budgets and curriculum materials are all directly impactful on students and thus students should have some kind of say in their decisions.
The decisions of school board members who have the power to have tangible effects on the students of Walnut High School should be decided in some manner by the students themselves. Without some kind of representation of the students in school board activities, the district lacks student opinion in many school board decisions that directly affect the school population.
Though there are organizations such as Student Think Tank on campus, the extent in which they have an effect on the greater processes of the school is smaller than it should be. Regardless of when newly founded clubs on campus try to advocate for students, they never seem to reach a large tangible effect at our school. Clubs like Student Advocacy Union were formed but never seemed to have a real effect at our school. In order for there to be change, the opinions of students concerning action needs to be heard.
I am aware of the fact that change is difficult and strenuous. However, if students want change, then this difficulty is the least we can overcome to make Walnut a more suitable place for its students. My point is not that Walnut should or needs to change; I believe that if students were to want change, they should have the ability to act on that desire. These could be changes such as the various schedules or tutorial alterations that have gone on in the past few years.
I am not asking for a direct vote for students in school board voting, nor am I asking for pandering. I solely wish to emphasize that the student’s voice in the school’s decisions should be one of the most heard influences. This is not just representation for representation’s sake; rather, it is an initiative to start to create a better place for students to learn and thrive.
