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Student advisory outlines phone policy pilot, wellness steps, AP course requests and a new student navigation website
Summary
Student advisory council presented survey-backed recommendations on phone-storage pouches, mental-health access, expanding AP options at smaller schools and a student-facing integration website; trustees praised the work and discussed next steps for district follow-up.
Student members of the Jefferson Union High School District’s Student Advisory Council presented a year‑end report to the board on May 1 that combined short, data-driven projects and practical recommendations for district leaders.
The school-environment group described surveys and local pilots of “Yonder pouches” — phone-storage pouches used at Terra Nova — and said teachers reported improved focus. “Eighty‑eight percent of teachers mentioned improve their students’ focus as a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5,” student presenter Angela Chin said, citing teacher survey responses and comments about reduced off‑task behavior. The group recommended a staged rollout, training for teachers, and simple monitoring tools such as bathroom call buttons to flag maintenance needs and safety concerns.
The wellness subgroup proposed several mental‑health access measures after reviewing county data and local interviews. Proposals included twice‑monthly wellness workshops, peer assistance courses, and multiple discreet ways for students to request counseling (QR codes on bookmarks or student IDs, an easy‑access web link and partner check‑ins). “We found QR codes in public places aren’t always used because of stigma; bookmarks or ID stickers let students scan privately,” a wellness presenter said.
Students focused on academics urged expanding AP offerings at smaller campuses. After surveying 233 students across the district, the group recommended adding AP Biology at Terra Nova and Oceana where interest was highest and flagged teacher concerns — the need for prep time, stipends and measures to ensure student readiness.
A final student team demonstrated a new student integration website with campus maps, counseling links and club directories intended to help freshmen and other new students find resources and extracurricular opportunities. The site is live for three schools with plans to expand and to distribute QR‑coded flyers in freshman packets.
Superintendent Presta and several trustees praised the students’ data collection and practical recommendations and suggested district staff follow up on feasibility, funding and rollout plans. Trustees asked staff to coordinate with principals and counseling teams before broader implementation. The board took no formal policy votes on the presentations; trustees signaled support for further district review and potential pilot expansions.
The student presentations occupied the bulk of the board’s discussion and produced specific next steps the board asked staff to explore.
