Purpose: The Mississippi State Board of
Education (State Board), in an effort to include student perspectives on state
educational policies, laws and regulations, shall incorporate student
representation in a non-voting capacity by and through the appointed position
of Student Representative of the State Board.
The Student Representative shall serve as a link between
board level policy and the classroom. The Student Representative shall serve as
a trustee on behalf of Mississippi students and will be charged with providing
perspectives on issues of interest to students and ensure student's voices are
represented. The Student Representative shall be responsible for attending
State Board meetings as well as standing committee(s) or subcommittee(s) to
which he or she may be assigned. Unless invited to attend by an affirmative
vote of a majority of the State Board, the Student Representative may not
attend Executive Sessions of the State Board. Student Representatives shall be
excused from school to attend State Board meetings as official school
business.
Term of Service: Through a competitive
application process, the State Board shall appoint one rising junior and one
rising senior to serve as Student Representatives consecutively in the initial
year of program implementation. The senior representative's term will end on
April 30th due to graduation. The junior
representative shall promote to a senior representative and shall continue to
serve for a second year and a new junior shall be appointed annually. The term
of service for rising juniors shall begin on July
1st of Year 1 and shall end on April
30th of Year 2.
Eligibility: Students who meet the following
criteria are eligible to apply for the Student Representative program:
1. Any student who is a Mississippi resident,
enrolled in a Mississippi public high school or charter school, and who will be
enrolled in good standing in the eleventh grade (or twelfth grade in the
2019-2020 school year) may apply. Confirmation of eligibility will be received
from the high school counselor as part of the application process.
2. A student shall have an overall grade
point average of 3.0 or above. Confirmation of eligibility shall be received
from the high school counselor as part of the application process.
Upon appointment, Student Representatives shall maintain
eligibility throughout the term of service.
Application: The Office of Educational
Accountability will prepare and disseminate an application packet to all public
high schools and charter schools in Mississippi. The application packet will
also be posted on the Mississippi Department of Education web site. Students
shall complete all application requirements and submit the application to the
Mississippi Department of Education by the deadline to be considered for the
program.
Application requirements will include, but not be limited to,
the following:
1. Student shall submit
at least 3 recommendation letters (from a teacher who has instructed the
student, an administrator, and other adult who knows the student but is not a
family member).
2. Student shall
agree to provide his/her own transportation to board meetings, activities, and
events. Student Representatives will be reimbursed for approved travel expenses
such as mileage, lodging and meals incurred while traveling on official board
business upon submission of a claim to the State Superintendent based upon the
guidelines established by the Mississippi Department of Finance and
Administration (DFA) in accordance with Miss. Code Ann. §
25-3-41.
3. Student shall have written consent of a
parent or guardian, as well as the approval of the principal and district
superintendent to apply for the Student Representative position.
4. Student shall have written confirmation
from his/her counselor that the eligibility requirements have been
met.
5. Student shall provide
responses to the essay questions.
6. Student shall have the opportunity to
highlight his/her extracurricular activities, community and volunteer service,
work experience and academic achievements and honors.
Screening: Immediately following the application
deadline, the Office of Educational Accountability shall review the
applications received to ensure all application requirements have been met for
candidates to be considered for an interview. Applicants who fail to meet all
eligibility criteria and application requirements shall be automatically
disqualified. Applications received after the deadline for submission shall be
disqualified. All qualified applications shall be screened as follows:
1. The Internal Accountability Subcommittee
Chair shall work with the State Superintendent to appoint the internal Ad-Hoc
Screening Committee(s) of five members composed of one Internal Accountability
Subcommittee member and four Mississippi Department of Education
staff.
2. The Screening
Committee(s) shall review all qualified applications and rate each application
holistically, selecting at least the top 10 semifinalists who reflect the best
cross-section of the many outstanding students who apply.
Interview and Appointment: The interview and
appointment process shall be conducted as follows:
1. The semifinalists shall be interviewed by
the Internal Accountability Subcommittee of the State Board.
2. The Internal Accountability Subcommittee
shall recommend no more than four finalists to the State Board for an
interview. One junior representative and one senior representative shall be
appointed by the State Board in the program implementation year. Subsequently,
only one junior representative shall be appointed by the State Board
annually.
3. The Internal
Accountability Subcommittee shall document the next highest scoring candidates
in rank order should an alternate(s) be needed to fulfill the duties of a
Student Representative(s) during his/her term.
Duties and Responsibilities: Upon appointment by
the State Board, the Student Representative shall, at minimum, fulfill the
following duties and responsibilities:
1. Attending monthly State Board meetings is
required in addition to attendance of special called meetings or other meetings
or events as requested by the Board Chair. When a school activity prevents a
Student Representative from attending a State Board meeting, he/she should
provide notice to the State Board Chair. Additional absences shall be limited
to no more than two absences per fiscal year. Any other circumstances that
would prevent attendance at the meetings must be reviewed and approved by the
Board Chair.
2. Preparing for State
Board meetings by reviewing the packet of board meeting materials provided
prior to the meetings. A report shall be given by each of the Student
Representatives at each monthly meeting and shall be submitted for Board Chair
review no less than 10 calendar days prior to the meeting.
3. Attending a one-day orientation
session.
4. Participating actively
in the discussions of the State Board by listening, observing and providing
meaningful input.
5. Working
harmoniously with other State Board members and Mississippi Department of
Education staff.
6. Accepting the
will of the majority vote of the State Board in all cases and giving support to
the resulting policy.
7. Developing
a thorough understanding of current educational issues, State laws, policies,
and regulations that directly impact Mississippi students and sharing this info
with high school students statewide.
8. Serving as a spokesman for student
viewpoints in policy decisions directly influencing students and communicating
with students frequently. It is important that the Student Representative
elicit information from students statewide and attempt to formulate objective
opinions.
9. Participating in the
selection process of the incoming Student Representative.
10. Serving as a mentor for the incoming
Student Representative.
11.
Preparing and presenting a report to the State Board at the end of the term of
service that documents lessons learned and ways to strengthen the Student
Representative program in the future.
12. During their senior year, Student
Representatives may be given the opportunity to complete a capstone project
that will be presented to the State Board and other organizations in their
community and to receive academic credit for the project.
