Tuesday, June 24, 2025

June 2025 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: State Student Advisory Council

 Craven plans to skip the budget update

Student member Ioannis Asikis reporting out on work of SSAC

in person meetings held in Leicester, Worcester, Everett, and Methuen this year
hybrid model maintained to promote accessibility
expanded reach, made meetings more frequent

grounded work in Youth Risk Behavior Survey, representing thousands, weighed to be representative 
thus not only in students on SSAC only

community dialogue with other organizations and agencies
regions reported out on themes within the survey and made recommendations
overarching themes across the state on mental health and connectness to school
mental health must be as prioritized as physical health
embedded across student experiences
across the state there was seen needs for: 

  • better access to support
  • improved staff training
  • stronger relationships between students and schools
mental health access
connectedness/attendance
stigma reduction on seeking help

on Q on how this gets back to local districts, we get a spin around referral back to regional SSAC groups but "how does it get reported out to school committees" comes up empty because there isn't one
THIS IS A THING THAT COULD AND SHOULD BE CHANGED.
Frankly, there also isn't a throughline on what happens even to these reports once they're given!

on Q on how to get information to students, Asikis notes Secretary Tutwiler's Instagram (acknowledgement in the back of who actually runs that), mentioning also newsletter or email 

Asikis speaks of his own experience as an immigrant student growing into being part of student voice 

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