9160
Student Representative on the Board of Education
The Hamden Board of Education shall have Student Representatives on the Board to garner student perspectives on school operations and issues being considered by the Board to facilitate communication and sharing of information between the Board and the student body.
The following procedures will apply to the seating of the Student Representatives on the Board of Education:
1. Students in grades 9-12 will be eligible for consideration to serve as Student Representatives on the Hamden Board of Education. Candidates must meet academic eligibility for co-curricular activities and; acquire at least 20 signatures from students enrolled at Hamden High School. Such signatures must be collected from at least five (5) Freshmen, five (5) Sophomores, five (5) Juniors, and five (5) Seniors indicating their support of the student’s candidacy. Students must also receive written permission from the high school principal or his/her designee in order to be eligible to serve as a Student Representative to the Hamden Board of Education.
2. Students must also get two (2) letters of recommendation from teachers at Hamden High School. The high school principal and Superintendent shall not limit the number of applicants that meet the eligibility requirements as defined above.
3. Each candidate must submit a video that explains why he/she/they would like to serve as a Student Representative to the Hamden Board of Education. Such videos cannot exceed three minutes in length. No video submissions will be accepted after May 23rd of any school year in which Student Representatives will be selected.
4. A Selection Committee consisting of the Superintendent, Hamden Board of Education Chairperson, and the Hamden Board of Education’s Liaison to Hamden High School will review all video submissions and supporting recommendations and will choose a total of five (5) finalists. Such finalists will be interviewed by the Selection Committee. Such Selection Committee will make a recommendation to the Board and the Board will select the Student Representative. The Student Representative to the Board of Education will be selected by a minimum two-thirds vote of the Selection Committee.
5. After the students have been selected by the Board, they will attend an orientation session presented by the Superintendent of Schools or designee and, whenever possible, a Board of Education member. Such orientation session shall include, but may not be limited to:
A) The roles and responsibilities of a Board of Education generally, and the roles and responsibilities of Hamden Board of Education members in particular;
B) The expectations of being a Student Representative on the Board of Education;
C) Review of the Student Representative removal process (as delineated in Appendix A of this policy);
6. The Student Representatives should be present at each regular meeting of the Board of Education. If this is not possible, the students must inform the Principal of Hamden High School and the Superintendent's office in advance of the meeting.
7. The Board of Education reserves the right to remove the Student Representative for due and sufficient cause, including conduct in or out of school. Student Representative removal from the Board of Education will result in a new selection for the academic year in which said removal occurs. Removal of a Student Representative of the Board of Education shall be done in accordance with Appendix A (Removal of a Student Representative from the Hamden Board of Education) which is herein attached.
8. The Student Representative will report to the student body on the deliberations of the Board of Education through the respective class president or via daily morning announcements when appropriate, and when approved by the Principal of Hamden High School and/or the Superintendent of Schools.
9. The Student Representative should be available for attendance at Board of Education meetings effective immediately upon selection as the Student Representative to the Hamden Board of Education.
10. The term of office for the Student Representative shall end upon their graduation, withdrawal from Hamden High School or removal by the Board of Education.
Privileges and Responsibilities:
1. The Student Representatives shall be able to attend and sit on all Board of Education meetings.
2. During said meetings, the student members shall be able to speak on any information or action item on the agenda or on any motion before the Board.
3. Copies of all regular meeting agendas, minutes, and other pertinent and publicly available publications shall be given to the Student Representatives when they are made available to the Board members.
Prohibitions on the Student Representatives:
1. The Student Representatives shall not be able to cast a vote on any motion or resolution before the Board.
2. The Student Representatives will not attend executive sessions of the Board of Education nor have access to associated confidential material. Only non-confidential materials will be distributed to Student Representatives. The Student Representatives will not attend Board of Education Democrat or Republican caucuses.
3. All other powers and privileges that might be deemed appropriate for the Student Representative shall be decided upon by the Board of Education.
Approved by BOE (second reading): May 9, 2023
Adopted by BOE: May 11, 2010
APPENDIX A
(REMOVAL OF A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE HAMDEN BOARD OF EDUCATION)
The Hamden Board of Education recognizes that there may be cause to remove a Student Representative from the Board for due and sufficient cause. The process for removing said Student Representative will be as follows:
· When the Superintendent becomes aware that a Student Representative on the Hamden Board of Education has exhibited conduct that may lead to removal, the Superintendent will notify the Chairperson of the Board of such conduct in writing. The Student Representative will be removed when he/she/they fails to fulfill the duties of a Student Representative; or engages in conduct that violates a publicized policy of the Board; or is disruptive of the educational process or endangers persons or property.
· The Chairperson of the Board will notify the Student Representative of the alleged conduct, will inform the student that the alleged conduct may lead to removal from the Board, and will consult with the Superintendent to determine a time to meet with the Student Representative
· The Superintendent and the Chairperson of the Board will meet with the Student Representative. During the meeting, the Chairperson of the Board will, again, inform the student of the alleged conduct that may lead to removal from the Board
· The Student Representative will be given an opportunity to give his/her/their side of the story
· Should the Board Chairperson and Superintendent conclude that due and sufficient cause exists to remove the Student Representative from the Board, the following procedure shall be implemented:
A) The student will be issued a written warning from the Chairperson indicating placement on a probationary status for a time to be determined by the Chairperson in consultation with the Superintendent. Such written warning may include a period of suspension from their position as Student Representative to the Board depending on the nature of the Student Representative’s conduct.
B) If the Chairperson of the Board decides, in consultation with the Superintendent that the Student Representative’s behavior is sufficiently egregious to forgo a warning and warrants removal from the Board of Education, the Chairperson will give the Student Representative an opportunity to resign from the Board. Should the student choose not to resign from the Board, the Chairperson of the Board will inform the student in writing of their removal from the Board. Such removal will be effective immediately upon the Student Representative’s receipt of the Board Chairperson’s written notification.
C) Decisions made by the Chairperson of the Board regarding the removal of a Student Representative from the Board are final and not reviewable by the Superintendent or Hamden Board of Education.