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Vineland students present Project Citizen proposals on 4‑day week, AI policy and nightlock door barricades
Summary
Middle and high school students presented Project Citizen initiatives to the board June 3 proposing a 4‑day school week (or alternatives), an AI‑usage policy banning unapproved AI work, and nightlock door barricades with cost estimates for district safety improvements.
Students from multiple Vineland schools presented Project Citizen projects to the board on June 3, proposing policy options on three distinct topics: a 4‑day school week (with alternatives), a restriction or ban on student use of generative AI in class, and nightlock door barricades to improve school security.
On the 4‑day week, students Malia Alvarado, Lexi Santiago and Jaylen Villanoa said their surveys show mental‑health benefits and cited out‑of‑state examples; they proposed two alternatives — lengthening the school day or making the fifth day a mandatory catch‑up and tutoring day — to preserve New Jersey’s 180‑day requirement. “We would like a 4‑day school week. Why is this a problem? Because of students’ mental health. 61% of our students agree with this,” Malia told the board.
A second student team (Dominic Lopez, Clarence Chard, Evan Doble and Nick Wayright) asked the district to adopt explicit language about AI in student handbooks, arguing that current policies address plagiarism broadly but not AI‑generated work. The students reported an in‑presentation survey figure of roughly 88.5% of respondents saying they had used AI tools and said some schools nationwide are updating handbooks to specify AI use and consequences.
A third team (Haley Anderson, Kylie Ryman, Abigail Adams and Kaylee Morero) proposed nightlock door barricades and compared alternatives such as hiring additional armed security or installing steel doors. They provided district cost estimates: for example, they identified a $50,000 average salary per security guard and estimated $2.1 million to staff guards across schools, while a per‑door steel option and door locks were estimated in the hundreds of thousands or under $80,000 district‑wide for lock hardware depending on scope.
Supervising staff thanked the students for the projects; board members and the superintendent’s team signaled interest in continuing dialogue while noting practical constraints such as district budgets, contract and labor considerations, and state law for academic calendars and safety policies.
The presentations were framed as civic education (Project Citizen) and concluded with certificate presentations and board praise.
