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Byram Hills outlines implementation steps after new state law requiring student ex officio board member
Summary
Board members and administrators discussed the recently signed state law requiring each high school to have at least one ex officio student on its board, and the district previewed a recommendation to use the high‑school student government’s elected officers to fulfill the role and route the proposal to the policy committee.
At the Jan. 14 Byram Hills Central School District Board of Education meeting, administrators briefed the board on a new New York law that will require each high school to have at least one ex officio student board member beginning next year.
The presentation summarized statutory requirements the district identified: the student must have attended the high school for at least one year (so not a freshman), may sit with board members at public meetings, may participate in some events as directed by the board, is not permitted to attend executive sessions or other closed meetings, may not receive compensation and is not entitled to vote.
Administrators said the district proposes to fulfill the law by making one of the high school’s elected senior officers — president, vice president, treasurer or secretary — serve as the ex officio board member on a rotating basis. Chris (staff member), who advised the student government process, told the board the student‑elected mechanism ensures the student chosen understands that the position is part of student‑government duties and creates shared responsibility so one student is not overburdened.
The board discussed student orientation and training. Scott (board member) recommended the district plan an orientation similar to the process used for new board members so students understand board governance and what will be expected at meetings. Administrators said they will take the recommendation to the policy committee to draft implementing policy language and return to the board for further review.
Administrators also described how the high school piloted ranked‑choice voting for the newly elected student government, saying the technique produced results students reported as more satisfactory and that the method could support the selection/rotation of the ex officio designee. Board members requested that the policy committee draft policy language and an orientation plan for the student ex officio role before the law takes effect.
