No education without representation.
In first period today students will have the opportunity to give input on adding a voting student representative to the SBDM Council.
The SBDM Council makes important decisions on the lives of students. Students are a part of making this key change to our council. This is a chance to increase student voice in Bullitt East.
SBDM stands for school-based decision making. Since 1990 SBDM Councils have been a part of decision making within Kentucky public schools. They usually include parents, teachers, and administrators. In the past Bullitt East has included a non-voting student representative. SBDM Councils traditionally do not include a voting student member. Principal Nate Fulghum is hoping to change this. While there will be an approval process on the state level with the Kentucky Department of Education, this will set Bullitt East apart as a school that cares about student needs, giving each of us a greater voice.
The student body will complete a short, one question survey on this, posted in their grade level Google Classroom. It asks “as a student, do you want the SBDM student representative to have voting capabilities while serving on the SBDM Council?”
As Livewire and student journalists, we believe the clear answer is yes. In a state where public schools are increasingly being subjected to censorship, such as the lasting effects of Senate Bill 150, it’s important to give students a voice wherever possible. The student representative on the SBDM Council having a vote gives their thoughts weight.
Principal Nate Fulghum believes that student voice is one of the most important things inside Bullitt East, and he wants more representation. This is achieved not only through giving the student representative a vote, but continuing to allow the student body to elect who this representative will be. “I am always excited about finding more avenues for student voice in schools. It builds ownership in our school and our culture,“ Fulghum said.
Being a voting member of the SBDM Council comes with responsibility. “All members are held accountable to state regulations and expectations concerning SBDM Councils,” Fulghum said.
Some might say this is too much responsibility for a high school student. There are plenty of things the government considers too much of a responsibility for high school students, or at least those under 18: voting, serving on a jury, and so on. But there are also plenty of things that come with just as much responsibility that most high school students can do: driving at 70 mph, signing years of their life away to federal student loans, and more. So why shouldn’t a responsible student elected by their peers get a vote? Every other member of the council gets a vote, yet the resulting decision will impact the student body the most.
