High school sophomores and juniors who attend Frederick County Public Schools may apply to serve as the 2024-2025 Student Member of the Board of Education (BOE) of Frederick County.
The role of the student member of the board is to bring a student viewpoint on educational issues to BOE meetings, generally held two evenings per month. The function is not to represent any particular special-interest group of students on an issue, but rather to respect the diversity of students’ points of view, to improve communication between the student body, staff and BOE members and to inform students of policies and decisions executed by the BOE.
Interested sophomores and juniors should contact their student government advisor for
a nomination packet or visit www.fcps.org/boe/student-board-member-election. Applicants must complete the entire packet, including nomination form, letter of recommendation and question response by Monday, October 30, 2023, at 4 p.m. All materials must be submitted electronically to Colleen.Bernard@fcps.org.
A selection panel including members of the Frederick County Association of Student Councils’ (FCASC) Board, Student Government Association (SGA) advisors and other district personnel will review applications and conduct in-person interviews at the FCPS Central Office, 191 S. East Street, on November 7 from 3-5 p.m. This committee will narrow the field to five candidates by November 8.
Candidate orientation will take place November 15; those selected will present speeches at the December 11 FCASC General Assembly and participate in a Candidate Town Hall on Thursday, January 4, 4:30-7 p.m. at the FCPS Central Office. Candidates will also submit a one-page statement to post online.
Online voting will occur January 4 - January 26 for students in all middle and high schools. Voting will determine whom the school’s SGA representatives support in a February 6 General Assembly. Student enrollment determines a school’s number of representative delegates. The FCASC will submit the name of the candidate with the majority of representative votes cast by school delegates to FCPS Superintendent Dr. Cheryl L. Dyson. The new student member will have the opportunity to job shadow the outgoing member in May and June.
The next student member of the board’s term begins in July 2024.
For further information, please call FCPS Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, Dr. Colleen Bernard at 301-644-5256.