SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Student members of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council told the San Marcos Unified Board on Thursday they want more peer supports, regular counselor check‑ins, and better guidance on artificial intelligence and phone use in classrooms.

Trinity Moon, Mission Hills student representative, summarized the council’s priorities: improved empathy and relationships between students and staff; leadership opportunities for students who are not yet involved in extracurriculars; and pilot peer‑to‑peer counseling programs. Moon said the council wants “leadership through small actions,” including pairing involved and uninvolved students to build connection.

Sydney Cork, San Marcos High student representative, briefed the board on the Let’s Face It Together mental‑health awareness campaign. Cork said the campaign has produced “over 13,000 communications” and led to 92 appointments but that students want greater visibility, reduced stigma (especially among males) and more accessible counselor relationships. She said students proposed a short film, social‑media challenges and wider rollout of peer‑led programs already being piloted at Mission Hills.

On classroom technology and phones, students told the board they use AI tools and want teachers to instruct on ethical, educational AI use. Moon said students favor “using AI as an educational tool” for tutoring and college‑application support and asked that phone rules be applied with teacher discretion for specific classroom needs.

Why it matters: student voices are shaping district approaches to mental health, counseling access and classroom technology policy; the council said several proposals will be piloted and discussed further at an upcoming May meeting.

Clarifying details: the council reported 13,000 campaign communications and 92 resulting appointments to date; students plan to pilot peer‑to‑peer counseling at Mission Hills High School before considering districtwide adoption.

Looking ahead: the council will meet again May 20 and district staff indicated plans to pilot peer programs and increase mental‑health outreach and counselor check‑ins based on student feedback.