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Student advisory council urges mandated anti‑hate training, mental‑health breaks and wider AP/dual‑enrollment access
Summary
Members of the Salinas Union High School District superintendent student advisory council presented a package of student‑led proposals — calling for staff anti‑racism training, short in‑class mental‑health breaks, restroom safety fixes and expanded AP/dual‑enrollment access districtwide.
Student leaders told the Salinas Union High School District board that their peers are seeing less hateful language but still face persistent incidents and gaps in responses, and they urged the district to make training and structural changes to improve safety and equity.
At the meeting a group of students representing La Paz Middle School, North Salinas High and the district’s Superintendent Student Advisory Council described several projects they led this year: a PBIS rewards program and attendance incentives at La Paz; a student‑produced anti‑hate video and classroom rollout that reached 98 social‑studies classes at North; a bathroom maintenance and tip‑line proposal; and a plan to expand AP and dual‑enrollment courses across district sites.
Why it matters: Students framed the requests as practical steps to reduce harm and increase opportunity. They asked the board to require staff training on anti‑racism and to set aside time for short mental‑health breaks during the school day — interventions they said would lower stigma and improve learning.
Kevin Matias, an eighth grader and La Paz SSAC representative, described PBIS incentives that boosted attendance and rewarded improvement. "This semester, we encourage positive attendance by having rewards during lunch for students with perfect attendance or improved attendance," Matias told trustees, listing field trips and ice‑cream rewards that schools used to encourage consistency.
Student leaders presenting the anti‑hate campaign summarized their findings from a Google survey of peers and said the top categories of harmful language were race, religion, sexual orientation and appearance. One presenter explained the student‑led rollout: classroom lessons, a Friday video and in‑class scripts used by volunteers to open conversations. "The presentation felt like a reminder that empathy can go a long way," a student response read during the board report.
Students proposing mental‑health breaks argued that short, structured pauses for mindfulness or quiet reflection could help overwhelmed students refocus. "Stress builds from academics, testing and social pressures," the mental‑health team said; they recommended increased staff awareness on how to recognize and connect students to supports and clearer communication about how to access wellness centers.
On AP and dual‑enrollment, student presenters asked the district to gather data on which SUHSD teachers hold master’s degrees and to build an early college pathway so students at more sites can access college credit. Their proposal envisions pilots in 2026–27 and possible rollouts in 2027–28.
Board response and next steps: Trustees thanked students for their work and signaled follow‑up. Board members said staff and the LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) engagement process will consider the students’ recommendations; the board chair said staff would be bringing policy and action items back next year. Students said they hope the district will mandate tiered anti‑racism training (beginning with instructional leaders and expanding to administrators, teachers and classified staff) and set aside time for training completion.
The board did not take an immediate vote on new district policies at the meeting; trustees asked staff to return with implementation plans and timeline options.
