June Board of Ed: Statewide Student Advisory end of year report

The Statewide Student Advisory Council reports out each year in June and this is that report, given by Ela Gardiner, departing student rep
Note that the SSAC is described at the end of MGL Ch. 15, sec. 1E which is the section that describes the Board itself; every secondary school is supposed to elected TWO representatives to their regional council

this year worked on financial literacy; MCAS graduation requirement; recycling and composting in schools; Narcan and CPR instruction

on financial literacy:
MA one of five states that have an F from the Champlain College Center for Financial literacy in schools
targeted recommendations for Board:

• update existing curricular standards in social studies framework
• expand resources to districts and schools
• use MassCore to encourage establishment or expansion of personal finance classes

on MCAS graduation requirement:
disproportion impact on low income, EL and people with disabilities
recommendation:

• increasing language accessibilities
• increase of accessibility and knowledge of portfolio alternatives
  

note that new MCAS contract makes steps
Gardiner stresses that a group of students focusing on DEI "did NOT find" that eliminating the requirement was their recommendation

recycling/sustainability
difficult for Department to impact wide discrepancies across districts
how can this be related to work done by the Department?

lack of first aid education
one of MA states that doesn't require CPR 
93% of reps said school doesn't instruct in Narcan
group made a whole classroom curriculum on Narcan

Where can SSAC improve?
attendance and representation on the council
50 on council; at best 20 attend
"when I am looking for student feedback, I struggle to get it sometime"
"opinion or feedback that represents the students"
having taking great strides

Hills: "there's really no such thing as speaking on behalf of all students"
How to balance own voice and all students?
Gardiner: was elected on own merits
"as a representative, that's how you do it"
"in all honesty, I'm a white woman, who goes to Wellesley"
"I don't have that personal experience...I do need diverse opinions to bring me to a point so I can represent those opinions adequately"

Moriarty: worry about "disengagement" from students in from Gateway cities
uh, wow
says Springfield "couldn't find" a student for the superintendent search
"is there a different value proposition" for it to be valued and support from other communities
"one of my first suspicions is it's just not well known"
THEY MEET AT THE DEPARTMENT; YOU NEED A CAR
Gardiner: reform is needing to send out information and not depending on students themselves
"in terms of whole statewide efforts to communicate that"
"there are plenty of student advocates in the state"
seniors graduate so lacking continuity

West congratulates on report
Gardiner: western Mass has unfilled slots; other parts of the state have people sitting in seats who don't attend
"transportation is always an issue"
effort to make meetings hybrid; some meetings were on Zoom

Johnston: really take reflections to heart