Ensuring students have a voice in educational decision-making was a key takeaway for Summit School District officials who recently attended the annual Colorado Association of School Boards conference. 

Officials reflected on their time at the 83rd annual conference during a Jan. 18 board of education meeting. The conference, which brings together superintendents and school board members from districts across the state, was held from Dec. 7-9 at The Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs. 

Seven Summit School District students attended the event. During the Jan. 18 meeting, they recounted to board members what they learned about their district and the importance of student advocacy. 

Superintendent Tony Byrd thanked the students for “stepping up as leaders,” adding, “That takes a lot of courage to go down and engage beyond the classroom with students from all over the state.”

Students said they’ve translated some of what they learned at the conference into a push for more student-led discussion, such as at Snowy Peaks High School, where student Ronan Muckler said he has talked with school leadership about having more student involvement in morning meetings. 

Students also highlighted ways they feel their schools are already supporting them, such as through adding more career and technical education classes. One student underscored Summit High School’s precollegiate program, which provides resources for first-generation students preparing for life after graduation. Another student mentioned Snowy Peak’s peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, called Hope Squad. 

Students called these initiatives prime examples of areas where students can lead conversations and shape their time in school.

“I just want to applaud you all for your courage, your leadership. It’s so exciting to hear leadership came home with you,” said board member Chris Guarino. 

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Board members, later on in their meeting, said they’d like to see even more student presence at future conferences. 

While speakers discussed issues around inclusion in schools, Byrd said “equity was not a thread,” adding, “I didn’t actually hear it anywhere.”

“And so that just makes me nervous that people are scared to take it on and that it’s starting to disappear,” he continued. 

Board President Consuelo Redhorse said she spoke at the conference during a roundtable discussion about equity challenges facing districts, from engaging with Latino families to the impact of more migrants in Colorado. 

Redhorse suggested districts find time to have more equity-specific discussions at these events, adding, “If you shy away from it or people don’t want to talk about it, then all of a sudden you don’t have the support you need.”

Board member Vanessa Agee agreed and said it is yet another reason for why students should have more of a platform at the district-level. 

“There is nothing like hearing from a student,” Agee said. “It starts waking people up.”