Lacey Youth Council members tell city commissioners schools need clearer supports, lower fees and better follow-up on complaints

Lacey youth and commissioners on Feb. 24 traded examples of inclusion and frustration during a presentation by the Lacey Youth Council to the Lacey Commission on Equity, with students urging clearer accommodations, reduced fees for advanced coursework and stronger follow-up when students report harassment.

The youth presentation, led by Lacey Youth Mayor Zuri, described several school-level programs they consider equitable — unified sports, counseling center resources and cultural clubs — while also listing recurring problems. “Equity provides different levels of support to allow everyone to have what they need to succeed,” said Zuri, identified at the meeting as Lacey Youth Mayor.

The students and commissioners placed particular emphasis on access to accommodations and the school response when students report harassment or discrimination. A student who identified herself as having a 504 plan and a health plan described repeated incidents in which classmates called her derogatory slurs and teachers or counselors failed to escalate the matter. “I told multiple teachers about it, and they went, ‘yeah, people do so,’ ” the student said, adding the response from higher-level administrators felt dismissive.

Students also described financial barriers to participation in school life and advanced coursework. A River Ridge High School student said Advanced Placement test fees remain a burden even when fee reductions are available: “You can get those waived too, but they only waive about half of them, which can still end up being 200 to $300, if you take multiple AP classes,” she said. Another student said four AP tests can cost about $400 total before waivers; after partial waivers she paid roughly $200.

Students and commissioners discussed inconsistent application of IEP/504 accommodations. One student described asking a teacher to honor an accommodation on file and being dismissed. Another student described an incident in which classmates followed and taunted her in a hallway after she used an elevator that required a key; she said staff did not adequately address the conduct after it was reported.

Commissioners pressed students on whether teachers, counselors or school administrators offered meaningful support. Commissioner Belva Jackson, who identified herself as a commissioner during the meeting, said the commission is concerned with whether incidents are isolated or widespread and how they affect learning outcomes: “To what degree is that impacting the ability to learn, to succeed in the educational process?” Jackson asked.

Students said much of their organizing has been student-led. “If nobody had started, we just wouldn’t have [these clubs],” one student said, describing founding of an Asian Pacific Islander club and other student organizations. Several students said they use social media and peer outreach as the primary ways to reach classmates when staff do not lead outreach.

City staff and commissioners responding to the presentation described planned next steps. Shannon Kelly Fong, assistant city manager, told the group the city is arranging a joint meeting with North Thurston Public Schools, the school board and the city council that will include workshops and round-table discussions aimed at the concerns the youth raised. Veronica Hand, executive inclusion program manager, said the city will share meeting dates with the commission when they are set.

The commissioners and youth asked for clearer processes and transparency about outcomes when complaints are filed so students know what follow-up to expect. Several students said their experience is that complaints “don’t feel good when you file a complaint or have a situation, and it kinda stops there,” and urged a stronger reporting and feedback loop.

The meeting also included routine business: commissioners approved the agenda, previous meeting minutes and consent items by voice vote at the start of the session; the approval was recorded verbally (“aye”) but no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The Commission on Equity scheduled the joint meeting with the school district and encouraged students to participate in the forthcoming workshop and listening sessions.

The youth council delegation at the Feb. 24 meeting included 14 students, the largest Lacey Youth Council cohort to date, said staff liaison Sadie Siblin. Students represented several local schools, including North Thurston High School, Timberline High School, River Ridge High School and Summit Virtual Academy.

The commission and the youth council agreed to continue the conversation at upcoming joint sessions with school officials and to work on practical follow-up steps to improve complaint handling and access to resources.