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Student ambassadors present survey showing mixed views on voice, counseling and lunch service
Summary
Student ambassadors told the Urbana SD 116 board the school survey found about two‑thirds of respondents felt heard, while many requested better access to counselors, improvements to bathroom cleanliness and fixes to lunch quality and dietary accommodations.
Student ambassadors presented results from a student survey begun Aug. 31 and summarized findings for the Urbana School District 116 board during the study session.
The students said about 67.6% of survey respondents answered yes to “Do you feel like your voice is heard?” and roughly 32.4% answered no. The ambassadors described common reasons for negative responses as age differences, feeling ignored by staff or that issues were “pushed to the side.” The presenters said they will repeat the survey after winter break to track changes.
Presenters pressed for expanded counseling access, noting counselor availability is constrained; the ambassadors said the high school has only four counselors and many students reported difficulty getting appointments. They described student requests for “better counseling to help plan future, help plan college applications or to just go to personal problems.”
Students also raised building maintenance issues: repeated bathroom vandalism and trashing, despite custodial staff logging checks. The ambassadors said custodial staff are documenting cleaning but urged student‑focused efforts to reduce vandalism.
On food service, ambassadors reported recurring problems: some items running out (they cited a missed food truck one week), small portion sizes for student athletes, and several student reports of undercooked ground beef in tacos and expired grab‑and‑go items. They said they had discussed these concerns with the food vendor’s manager, Emily Lane, and asked staff to continue monitoring food safety and allergy/halal accommodations.
The ambassadors also said students wanted more advanced courses in the dual‑language program and asked the board for support as ambassadors continue outreach and follow‑up with administrators. One student noted progress since a prior health inspection and said “there’s a vast improvement since last year.”
The board thanked the ambassadors and asked staff to share district‑wide survey (Panorama) results as they become available. The ambassadors said they plan a follow‑up survey in spring to measure change.
