TUPPER LAKE — The Tupper Lake Central School District is pushing forward with plans to add at least one student representative to its Board of Education by January.

The move comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law on Sept. 5 requiring all school districts in the state, outside of New York City, containing a high school and all Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to establish a process to include at least one ex-officio, non-voting student member on the board of education.

Current education law allows districts to have student representatives, although it requires approval by district voters through referendums.

About a third of districts and BOCES across the state have at least one student representative, according to a March poll conducted by the New York State School Boards Association.

The law — which nullifies required voter action and makes it an automatic mandate — goes into effect on July 1, 2025. The timing means that districts must have a selection process in place ahead of the 2025-26 school year.

Tupper Lake Central School District Superintendent Jaycee Welsh said that even though the law doesn’t take effect until July 1, districts can move forward after the bill was signed to add student board members without a voter referendum.

“Knowing that something’s coming down the pipe, school districts can plan ahead for it,” she said. “We’re good to go.”

Other school districts across the state are moving forward with adding student representatives this year, according to Welsh, who thought the law was a positive change.

“It’s a good practice,” she said. I think it’s great for us to have multiple stakeholders at that table and it’s a great experience for the students.”

The student board members — throughout the state both before and as part of the new law — do not have voting powers on boards of education.

These students will not attend any board meetings or portions of meetings not open to the public. This includes executive sessions — closed portions of the meetings that board members and superintendents set aside to discuss potentially sensitive and confidential matters about the district, its personnel and/or students.

Student board members do not receive any form of compensation for participating. In most cases, regular school board members across the state are volunteers.

At the TLCSD Oct. 7 board meeting, Welsh hoped to have a student voice at the table by January — six months ahead of the state’s deadline. To her, getting “ahead of the curve” allows the district to use the second half of the school year to iron out any unforeseen hiccups that may arise and “figure out what works best” ahead of the mandate.

Welsh said Middle-High School Principal Chris Savage and Guidance Counselor Brian Bennett created a student application and researched the best practices from districts that currently have student board members.

Welsh, who laid out a timeline, said Bennett and Savage planned on having applications due from students by Nov. 1 and ready to present to the board for their consideration at the upcoming Nov. 4 meeting. Welsh’s goal is to have at least one student join the board by the December or January regular meetings.

The new law — in keeping with the current policy that requires voter referendums — gives districts wide latitude over the selection process.

The only requirement is that the student must be in that district’s high school at least one year prior to selection.

Districts may opt to have one or multiple student representatives. While the final decision on who and how many students to select rests with the five-member Tupper Lake Board of Education, the law allows them the option to receive input from a variety of sources, including the superintendent, building principal or student government.

Board members voted unanimously to approve the student application. They did not commit to a set number of student representatives, leaving some room depending on how many applications they receive, and how they feel about them.

“This is very exciting,” Board President Jane Whitmore said.

The approved application requires interested students to receive two letters of recommendation: one from a district staff member and another from an adult not related to them, such as a coach, mentor or community member.

It also includes a series of short essay questions that ask students why they are interested in serving, what strengths they bring, what leadership skills they admire and want to develop, what challenges they have overcome and what having a voice advocating for fellow students means to them.

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Saranac Lake’s policy

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Saranac Lake is one of the school districts to have student board member representatives prior to the new law. Superintendent Diane Fox said it was a “long tradition” for the district to include a student voice at the table.

Elijah Schenk served as one of the student representatives during the 2023-24 year. Schenk was grateful that his district had created the student representative position.

“Having students represent (on) the board shows that the school understands the importance of using the opinions of the teens that attend every day,” he wrote in a text message.

SLCSD policy states that the high school principal shall appoint up to four students — who will have submitted an application asking, in part, how they will use the position to help their fellow students — in grades 10 through 12 by the board’s October meeting.

The students serve one-year terms and are required to attend at least one board meeting per month. Representatives must send their fellow students an email following the meeting explaining what they brought to the board’s attention.

SLCSD Board President Mark Farmer said he finds the students’ contributions to be valuable. Farmer said that while he was speaking for himself, he believes other board members feel the same way.

He said that while much of the board’s discussions center around topics the students aren’t that familiar with or don’t directly pertain to them when it turns to issues pertinent to students, they are not afraid to speak up.

“When things are in their wheelhouse, they will honestly tell us how they and other students think of the issue,” he said.

Farmer added that this — along with input from district staff and community members — is a very important perspective for board members to have as they make decisions for the district.

“We really want that data. What do students think? How does it affect them?” he said.

Farmer thanked Josh Dann, the district’s high school principal, for playing a pivotal role in the program’s effectiveness.

“I think Mr. Dann does a great job selecting thoughtful students (to serve as board representatives), and then he does a great job working with them before meetings to get them briefed on what we’re doing and make sure their reports for us are set to go,” he said.

Farmer said the students take the role, and serving as the voice for their fellow students, very seriously.

“Some of the students might be a little more outgoing, some are not as much,” he said. “But when you look at them all during the meetings, you can tell: They’re locked in and they’re paying attention to what’s going on.”