Within weeks of learning they鈥檇 won a $10,000 grant, students who are part of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Va., got some bad news. The school board, the students learned, was rejecting the money they鈥檇 won to build a safe space, or quiet room, for all students.
In a 7-2 vote, the Lynchburg school board voted to reject the funding, raising objections to the source of the grant鈥攖he It Gets Better Project, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ youth.
鈥淭he issue of LGBTQ+ is very contentious nationwide, and in our own community,鈥� Martin Day, the vice chairman of the board told 澳门跑狗论坛 this month. 鈥淭he board was unanimously in favor of having this room, but in a way that was neutral in terms of sexuality.鈥� He added that the board is exploring alternate ways to fund the project from within the community.
It was a striking lesson on the limits of 鈥渟tudent voice鈥� in public schools.
鈥淭he question isn鈥檛, how do we get students to share their voice, but how do we get adults to listen to students鈥� voices?鈥� said Adam F.C. Fletcher, an educational consultant and founder of , an Olympia, Wash.-based organization working with K-12 schools to promote student voice.
In Lynchburg鈥檚 case, the school board vote came after the superintendent recommended approval of the grant, according to district spokesperson Austin Journey, who stated that the district would not be making faculty advisers of the school鈥檚 Gender and Sexuality Alliance available for comment. In a statement released to a before the board鈥檚 vote, the school system had said: 鈥淲e at Lynchburg City Schools are excited to recently learn that the student-led Gender & Sexuality Alliance organization at E. C. Glass High School has been named a recipient of the 2023 鈥�50 States, 50 Grants, 5000 Voices鈥� grant project,鈥� adding that the high school administrators 鈥渓ook forward鈥� to collaborating with the club to support activities and programs 鈥渢hat align with school board policies.鈥�
But in the greater Lynchburg community, home to Liberty University, the well-known evangelical liberal arts school, some citizens objected. At a November school board meeting following the announcement of the student-earned grant, Lynchburg resident Greg Barry, grandparent and guardian of a student at the high school, voiced his disapproval.
鈥淟et me be very clear,鈥� said Barry, whose comments were captured on ). 鈥淭he LGBTQ agenda in schools is about indoctrination and grooming our children into an evil and wicked lifestyle.鈥�
During the meeting, students spoke out in support for the grant and expressed disappointment at the school board鈥檚 reaction. 澳门跑狗论坛 was unable to reach them later for comment.
The board鈥檚 vote comes as the concept of 鈥渟tudent voice鈥� has been gaining traction across the nation. Some districts and schools are looking to give students more say in how their schools are run, through superintendent advisory boards, student councils, or even a seat on a local school board, and that often means listening to and acting on student preferences, interests, and perspectives.
is among the majority of states that don鈥檛 allow students to serve as voting members of their local school boards. Twenty-three states have no student members on their boards; 20 have non-voting student members; and six states allow students to be voting members of their boards, at least on some issues, according to 2022 data from the , which has supported student-voice efforts.
The significance of student voice
It also comes in an era of contentious school board meetings, sometimes involving debates over the rights of LGBTQ students and staff. During an 18-month period ending in late 2022, 59 people were arrested or charged subsequent to disputes originating during school board meetings, according to . But typically, disapproval expressed at school board meetings is generally directed at school and district officials鈥攏ot students.
The concept of 鈥渟tudent voice鈥� is more than simply a 鈥渇eel good鈥� notion, according to recent research.
When students believe that schools are responsive to their ideas, they鈥檙e more likely to have higher grade point averages and better school attendance, according to research that includes a 2018-19 survey of 12,000 9th-grade students in Chicago led by Joseph Kahne, a professor of education policy and co-director of the Civic Engagement Research Group at University of California Riverside.
While all students benefit from having a more direct role in shaping their experiences at school, incidents such as the one at Lynchburg serve as a reminder that the need is particularly acute for historically marginalized youth, advocates say. In a co-conducted by the Center for American Progress, 19 percent of LGBTQ+ adult respondents reported having experienced discrimination at school, compared to 9 percent of non-LGBTQ+ adult respondents. This percentage was higher for LGBTQ+ people of color and LGBTQ+ people with disabilities, according to Cait Smith, director, LGBTQ+ policy at the center. LGBTQ+ students also report experiencing high rates of bullying.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly important for LGBTQ+ young people to feel safe, affirmed, and accepted,鈥� Smith wrote in an email. 鈥淚n the past year, over 400 bills targeting LGBTQ+ youth were considered across the country鈥攁ccounting for over 60 percent of all anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the same time span.鈥�
When students voices go unheard
Fletcher, the student advocate and educational consultant, warned that districts that exclude students from having a voice will eventually face backlash that, he said, 鈥渋s going to come like a bag of bricks.鈥�
Students who feel their voices have been silenced are far less likely to be invested long-term in the school community, which is important to its overall health, Fletcher said. 鈥淲hy would they want to go to a game [at their alma mater] 10 years from now?鈥� he said of current students who feel a lack of investment, and voice, in their high schools.
Pockets of progress
Fletcher noted, however, that adults are listening to students elsewhere and investing heavily in efforts to enhance student voice. He pointed to Boston Public Schools, which supports the , a citywide body of student leaders that allows students a voice in several ways. Student efforts associated with the council have helped drive wide-reaching district policies on important issues including student cellphone use during the school day, noted Fletcher.
Other advocates for student voice express optimism about the larger movement鈥檚 direction, too. 鈥淚 think we鈥檝e made a lot of progress over the years in thinking about how we involve youth in decisionmaking,鈥� said Samantha Holquist, senior research scientist at Child Trends, a research organization serving youth and families. 鈥淎 lot of schools are interested in it; they鈥檙e trying to figure it out.鈥�
Yet, while many school districts she鈥檚 partnered with express a desire to support student voice, not all are sure how to enact it. 鈥淭hey have questions like: How do we do it effectively?鈥� said Holquist. 鈥淗ow do we hear from students who the system鈥檚 not working for? How do we prioritize their voices?鈥�
Some districts are finding creative ways to make students鈥� voices heard, said Holquist. The Washoe county school district in Nevada, which has a history of creating opportunities for students to play an active role in decisions related to their learning, has, for instance, hired to partner with its schools to provide training on how to elevate student voice within a school community. She said she鈥檚 also seeing other districts hire more staff dedicated to student voice, as well as growing numbers of student advisory boards within their school boards.
Creating concrete avenues for student voices to be heard is critical, but so too is adult support in the process, Holquist said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about having adult allies who can help students not only celebrate their wins,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut also help them navigate through the challenges of not getting the goal they wanted.鈥�
