LONGVIEW — Beginning in the fall, students from Mark Morris and R.A. Long high schools will have the opportunity to offer input — but not vote — at Longview School Board meetings as student representatives.
“That’s something that’s always been missing,” Board President Don Wiitala said.
The board first adopted the policy allowing for student representatives in September 2023 as part of their effort to engage more with students, and have since been working to decide exactly how to put it into action. They hope to have representatives selected in June who will begin their terms by participating in the board’s annual retreat in August, Wiitala said.
Principals and staff at the high schools will select one student from each school to participate in board meetings, give reports about the status of the student body and facilitate communication between students and board members. One representative will be a senior and the other a junior; when the senior graduates, the junior will move up to the senior position and a new junior will be chosen.
Students can apply for the position if they are in good academic standing based on the same criteria as participation in other extracurricular activities, and either attend their designated high school for three periods a day or develop a plan with school administration to stay engaged with the student body.
