Cohosy to allow student ex officio board members to give monthly reports; policy change proposed

The Cohosy School District plans to give its student ex officio board members a regular slot to report at board meetings, Superintendent O'Shea told the board on Sept. 10. O'Shea said she met with the student ex officio members and with co-advisers Gabe White and Drake Balarno; the students are expected to provide an opening-school report at the next board meeting. Because the board’s agenda process is set out in district policy, O'Shea said a small policy change will be proposed so the students’ monthly reports are formally included on the agenda. The superintendent said the students had expressed willingness to report and that the district may also have the student members use student council meetings and the district’s student voice committee to gather and relay information from the broader student body. The board discussed bringing the policy matter to the policy committee for a recommended change and asked staff to prepare proposed language for consideration at a future meeting. O'Shea also said the student ex officio members have been invited to a Sept. 17 BOCES meeting of student board members in the capital region; she said the meeting is a leadership opportunity and could inform future student reporting.