Students continue to address BP 9110 during joint MSB/school board meeting

During a joint meeting of the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District school board (MSBSD) and the MSB Assembly, high school students again donned yellow t-shirts in support of the Student Advisory Board (SAB) and re-stated their opposition to the school board’s recent decision to revise Board Policy 9110, which trimmed down the SAB Representative’s role within the school board.

Wyatt Perkins told members of both groups that speaking for the first time at school board meeting was nerve-wracking but was speaking regardless of his nerves, before he called out board members who supported BP 9110 for not speaking out about their decision to support the policy change.

“What irritates me more than these amendments being passed through is the cowardly behavior of the board members who voted ‘yes’ and not providing any single argument for their vote,” he said, saying the policy change had a greater impact on every student than any other policy passed in recent times.

“Not a single board member who voted to pass this offered one word in defense of their vote. Not a single member of the policy committee-the board members that drafted the amendment-provided one ounce of reasoning behind their decision.”

Perkins, who serves as Student Body President for his senior class at Career and Technical High School in Wasilla, said he heard from multiple board members during the last meeting that community input was received and considered, yet not one action was taken by members to convince him that their words were anything more than “average, political lip service.”

“How do you expect us to think about you as anything but a brick wall, when you don’t actually let us see your thought processes?”

Perkins also responded to a comment made during the September 6 school board meeting, when school board member Kathy McCollum said she would like to hear more voices instead of fewer.

“I know that there are a lot of other groups in the district, such as FFA and Educators Rising, and I’d like to hear more discussion on how we could incorporate more voices, instead of fewer,” she said during the meeting.

“Personally, I am a member of the advising CTSO (career and technical student organization) and I am a member of our school’s Science Bowl team. In our students’ Executive Board alone, we have a member of the FFA (Future Farmers of America), 2 other advising members in the audience, the vice president of our school’s HOSA chapter (the CTSO specifically dedicated to preparing students for careers in the Health Science career pathway), multiple national honor society members, a wrestler, a track runner, a soccer player, and a member of the Colony Marching Band,” he said.

“All of these students from diverse backgrounds and interests come together to form our colorful Executive Board, and so many more come together to form our greater student body. That’s how our government works.”

Perkins said he would also like to see more student involvement and representation come together to discuss issues and would continue to inform the student population and grow interest in participating in the government process.

“This revision is not representative of the will of the people, as was expressed at the school board meeting,” said student Finn Gannon after he read the previous board policy about the SAB representative, and the changes made after the school board adopted the changes last week.

“It’s egregious. It denies the students a chance to input our voice. It’s wrong, and I think it should be revised.”

Other students spoke in response to the books currently being reviewed by the Library Committee

“I’m 17. A lot of them (students present) are 17, and some are 18. We have jobs, we have cars, we’re applying to colleges, and soon we’ll be allowed to take on massive amounts of debt. We are old enough to where we should be able to decide what our views are. We should be allowed to figure out what we stand for. If we don’t learn to think for ourselves now, when will we ever?” asked Noah Hill, who began his remarks responding to a previous speaker asking what they thought of the books being challenged, though could easily be applied to an implication made during the August 16 MSBSD school board meeting that the current SAB Representative was influenced by external influences to the position, and were, in part responsible for the proposed changes.

“If we aren’t allowed to see other points of view, how will we know when we are adults, what’s right and what’s wrong? All points of view are valid in some form or another. Ones that are right, we need to understand how we can enact them. Even ones that are wrong, we need to understand why someone would think that way. Taking away other points of view will prohibit us from growing as individuals and hurt us from broadening our horizons.”

Some of the school board members thanked the students for coming out to the meeting after suggesting that they get more involved in local government.

“I enjoy all the students who came out and participated. I see that you heard us and you’re coming and you’re getting involved and I think that’s great,” said school board member Jubilee Underwood during board and assembly comments.

Assembly member Stephanie Nowers made sure to recognize each student that spoke by their first name.

“You got up and spoke, and that takes courage to do it. Even adults are nervous about doing that.” She told the students to not get frustrated or feel as if they aren’t being listened to when speaking out, and to think about crafting a solution.

Assemblymember Dee McKee was also pleased to see the students present and told them to not lose their desire to speak out.

“Don’t lose that fire, because you are the future. The rest of us are going to rock on out. You’ve got to take our place, so keep on doing what you’re doing. I applaud you for being here.”

The next regularly scheduled MSB Assembly meeting is set for September 26 at the Assembly Chambers in Palmer.