The divide between old people and young people likely goes back as far as human history.
“[Young people] have exalted notions because they have not yet been humbled by life or learnt its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things, and that means having exalted notions,” Aristotle wrote in “Rhetoric,” almost 2,400 years ago.
Bridging the gap between those with breadth of experience and those with a fresh perspective has never been easy. Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) has tried to bake that idea into its governance by having a student representative on its school board.
“The board members are older and don’t know how kids think,” said Ren Brown, this year’s student school board trustee. “It is better to have your opinion out there and not just have it silenced.”
Brown, 17, is a senior at Santa Clara High School. Planning to pursue a career in biotechnology, she is one of six student senators. Students at each SCUSD high school elect a student senator. In turn, the senate elected Brown to represent students on the school board. She said it was likely because of her experience on the student senate.
But Jennifer Dericco, SCUSD’s public information officer, said Brown’s characterization is just her “being modest.” She said Brown’s fellow students likely elected her because she “practices professionalism and leadership,” adding that Brown is a “fair and inclusive” person.
As a member of her school’s LGBT club, there were many policies Brown wanted to see changed. For instance, she has advocated for a few policy changes to match what was already being practiced in the district.
Being an advocate for an entire student population has helped her consider other opinions and put aside her own if they don’t reflect the will of her fellow students.
“It is definitely not just [that] all the kids want one thing. I have to keep in mind all the student’s perspectives,” Brown said. “There will be some back and forth.”
Among the changes Brown has advocated for were gender-neutral bathrooms and changing the dress code’s wording, which specified that students must dress according to their sex.
Additionally, because of Brown’s advocacy, the SCUSD board approved students carrying Naloxone spray, an opioid blocker. Being able to administer the drug ensures prompt response should they discover a fellow student who has overdosed on opioids.
Dericco called students having access to Naloxone a “no-brainer.”
While addressing the board slightly intimidates many of her fellow students, Brown said it helps her contextualize matters. It has given her insight into district policy, making her realize that policies are often handed down from higher-ups or simply a matter of law. It isn’t just the school board being recalcitrant.
“It is hard to explain to some students why some things are in place,” she said. “Some rules might sound silly, but there [are] reasons.”
That exposure to adults has served her well, Brown said. It has equipped her to better understand different views and illuminated competing goods. Knowing the ins-and-outs of decision-making has also sharpened her views.
Further, it has allowed her to contend with ideas instead of viewing people that disagree with an idea as opponents.
“It is less this person I don’t agree with; there is a policy,” she said. “It is better to know everything you can about the argument because your opinion is better-informed.”
SCUSD Superintendent Gary Waddell said Brown’s role offers the board a fresh perspective, allowing its members to better understand the will of the young people under its charge.
He called Brown a “valuable asset.”
Although the board has had a student trustee for more than a decade, Waddell said the district recently “reimagined” the role to, through its student senate, involve as many students as possible in “authentic ways.”.
“They really serve a critical function,” he said. “In some ways, they help us keep it real.”
Student trustees have helped guide board decisions on a variety of topics ranging from school lunch offerings to state testing procedure, Waddell said.
While the district works hard to solicit student perspectives in a more casual ways, the board’s more formal nature aims to give students context for how government works, Waddell said. Young people’s voice is “critical” to good governance, he added.
“My hope is these student leaders can take what they learn from this experience and use that in the next chapter of their lives … to engage civilly,” he said.
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