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Student board members criticize trustee appointment process; students push for clearer inclusion and grading transparency
Summary
Multiple student board members used the district meeting to express concern about the recent trustee appointment process, urge the board to heed student voices, and raise ongoing student issues including grading clarity, CBE implementation and campus facilities.
Several student board members and students used public comment and their board reports at Monday’s Placer Union High School District meeting to press trustees on recent appointment decisions, grading practices and campus needs.
Student board members at multiple sites urged the board to consider student input in governance decisions after the board appointed a new trustee in a process some students said sidelined their preferred candidate. "Let us not forget that everything done in the board directly affects the students at each school site," a Placer student board member said, calling for the board to prioritize student concerns in future appointments.
Students also raised substantive school-site issues. Colfax student leaders reported a newly formed student advisory council and flagged broken drinking fountains near athletic facilities as a problem for athletes and student groups. A student from Placer described confusion among parents and students about competency-based education (CBE) grading: "Parents aren't necessarily informed with the grading system — they're seeing a discrepancy between CBE marks and traditional grade-book letters," the student said, and asked the district to improve communications and parent-facing materials.
Several students and trustees also urged closer attention to campus inclusivity and outreach. A Confluence student who formerly attended Placer urged trustees to avoid labeling continuation students as "bad kids," emphasizing the school’s hands-on programs and community partnerships. That student described real‑world student projects — building garden beds, doing blueprint work and working with community partners — and urged trustees to visit Confluence to see the program in person.
Nut graf: Student board reports at the meeting combined program updates with pointed feedback: students asked for clearer communications on grading and CBE, urged the board to be responsive to student preferences in trustee selections and highlighted facility and accessibility issues (drinking fountains, aging furniture and accessible campus spaces) that affect daily life and extracurricular participation.
What trustees said: Several trustees acknowledged the comments and agreed to prioritize outreach. Trustee Spade and others invited students and trustees to upcoming learning walks to review classrooms and campus projects together.
Ending: Students said they will continue to press for clearer avenues to influence policy, and trustees said staff will return with further communications and engagement plans on grading and scheduling matters.
