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Broward students tell school board classroom tests help most; ask for clearer purpose, more counselors and fairer dress-code enforcement
Summary
Student advisors and dozens of students told the Broward County school board that classroom tests feel most useful, statewide and district assessments can be unclear or stressful, and they urged better counselor access, more elective options and more consistent dress-code enforcement. The board and superintendent pledged follow-up.
Dozens of Broward County students told the school board on Jan. 13 that classroom tests feel most closely tied to what teachers teach and that statewide and large district tests often feel impersonal, stressful and poorly explained.
"I think the most helpful would probably be world languages because you're learning a different language," said King Noah Young, a seventh‑grade student from Deerfield Beach Middle School, as students compared classroom, district and state testing. Multiple students, including Nisa Valbrand of Pompano Beach High School, said classroom tests are more personalized and better reflect what they learn in class.
Students also pressed the district on services and daily experience. Several said counseling access is uneven and sometimes hard to reach. "We have counselors but it can be really hard to get an appointment," a student said, urging clearer paths to college and graduation guidance. Others criticized cafeteria food quality and reported at least one instance a student described as food poisoning from a school meal.
Dress‑code enforcement drew consistent comments that it can be uneven and disproportionately affect female students. "When a female wears X, they get sent to the office — but when a guy does something similar, nobody bats an eye," one student said, urging more consistent enforcement and occasional 'free dress' days.
On safety, students offered mixed views about metal detectors and security checks. Some students said detectors and ID checks make them feel safer; others said long lines, inconsistent ID scanning and strict enforcement of minor metal items (for example eyelash curlers) create stress and tardies for students with medical needs.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn thanked the students and said the district will compile an after‑action report. Board member Debbie Hixson urged students to take local steps as well — for example working with administrators when a program is absent from a school — and reiterated that the board changed the district policy to allow cell phones at high‑school lunch periods while middle‑school phone rules are governed by state law.
The board and staff said the students' feedback would feed into a forthcoming assessment workshop and other follow‑ups. The superintendent's office and student advisory team said a written after‑action report and additional school‑level outreach would be delivered to cabinet and the board.
The workshop also included a public comment from Dan Bird of Speak Life and Bullying, who described a resiliency film-and-Q&A curriculum now piloted in Broward secondary schools and aligned to state resiliency standards.
