Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oak Park–River Forest District 200 seats student delegate as part of pilot to amplify student voice
Summary
The Board of Education seated Ruby Durbin as a student delegate under a newly launched pilot that will let one junior or senior sit at the board table each meeting as a nonvoting participant and be assigned a board mentor.
The Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education on Thursday seated a student board delegate as part of a pilot program intended to increase student voice at board meetings.
Ruby Durbin took an oath to serve as a student delegate to the District 200 board. Under the pilot, one junior or senior delegate will sit at the board table each meeting, observe all open meetings and participate in dialogue, but will not vote or attend closed sessions. Delegates are expected to attend board meetings as observers; juniors are expected to serve two years for continuity. Each student is assigned a board mentor to answer questions and coach them in contributing to the discussion.
Board members introducing the pilot said the program was developed after researching practices in other districts and consulting Illinois law about what is permissible. "For this pilot, we have student delegates from grades 9 through 12," a board member said during the meeting, noting the district refined the program after an initial two-week seating of six delegates; the seventh delegate was sworn in at Thursday's meeting.
The oath recited by Ruby Durbin included commitments to respect free expression, to recognize that decisions are made only by a majority vote of board members at public meetings, and to work with the superintendent to advance the board's vision for the district. Durbin read aloud: "I, Ruby Durbin, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Student Delegates to the Board of Education of Oak Park and River Forest High School, District 200, in accordance with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the laws of the State of Illinois to the best of my ability." (Oath text per transcript.)
District staff said mentors for delegates will be assigned and communicated to the students within the next day so delegates can begin participating before the end of the school year. The board described the pilot as subject to continued assessment and adjustment.
The pilot was presented as a two-way benefit: students gain experience with local governance while board members gain perspective from current students. No change to voting rights or closed-session access for delegates was proposed.
Board materials note the pilot is being implemented under guidance from the Illinois School Code and the district intends to continue evaluating the program for adjustments in future meetings.
