Allow one student to serve on their school board & share student voices.

 

The purpose of this act is to make sure students have a voice in the decisions that affect their schools. This bill

would let one high school student in each district serve on the school board. The student would attend meetings, share

student opinions, and help board members understand what students need and care about.

 

 

Students are the ones most affected by school board decisions, but their voices are often missing. Only about 14% of the

biggest U.S. school districts have a student on their school board, and many of those students aren’t even allowed to

vote.

Across the country, around 400 students serve on state boards or advisory groups in 33 states, but this is still a very

small number compared to how many school districts there are.

 

 

Student Representative: A high school student chosen by other students or school staff to serve on the school board.

School Board: The group of people that makes important decisions about how a school district runs.

Advisory Role: The student can share ideas and opinions but won’t have an official v

 

 

This bill does not need extra money from the state. School districts can use their current budgets to cover any small

costs, like training or materials for the student representative.

 

 

Offense 1:

If a school district doesn’t set up a fair way to choose a student representative within one year, the Minnesota

Department of Education will send a warning and make the district create a plan to fix it within 30 days.

Offense 2:

If the district still doesn’t follow the rules after the deadline, the Minnesota Department of Education can hold back

up to 1% of the district’s administrative budget until the district finishes the required process.

Offense 3:

If the district still ignores the rules after money is withheld, the Minnesota Department of Education can hold back up

to 3% of its administrative budget and make district leaders attend a required meeting. The district must prove it is

fully following the rules before the money is returned.

 

 

This act will start on July 1, 2026, giving schools enough time to plan how they will choose and support their student

representative before the 2026–2027 school year begins.