Student leadership council reports peer resilience work and advises district on student issues

Wake County Public Schools staff described the Superintendent Student Leadership Council (SSLC), a district‑level advisory group made up of student representatives from each middle and high school grade level that meets quarterly to provide student perspectives to the superintendent.

Nut graf: Committee members heard that the SSLC meets in person at least once a year to build relationships and virtually the rest of the year; students recently discussed electronic device policies, resilience strategies and mental‑health supports and proposed a peer language (a "weather scale") to describe emotional states.

Staff said principals nominate students to represent each grade level, and that the district provides criteria to ensure nominations reflect diverse perspectives rather than only student‑council leaders. SSLC membership includes sixth through twelfth graders from each school; staff estimated the broader representation approaches several hundred student leaders across the district when all grade‑level representatives are counted.

Examples presented to the committee included student projects to develop a resilience language for high schools and a joint panel with the Superintendent's Advisory and Advocacy Alliance. Staff said the SSLC helps the district solicit timely student feedback on policy work and curricula and that the council's ideas have informed ongoing program planning.

Ending: Committee members praised the SSLC as a useful mechanism to include student voice and asked staff to continue engaging the council on topics such as mental‑health first aid and leadership development. No formal action was taken.