Fighting Awful Policy

Predict bad policies before they happen. It'll take two seconds. Google search:

[your school district's name] school board meeting minutes

Copy-paste the meaty stuff here for GPT-3.5 to take a look (try to only put in the stuff that looks important).

If this was valuable, we'll help you send automatic email updates to every student at your school after every school board meeting. email ben@fix.school to set it up!

NOW WHAT!?!?

I have no idea how school policy works, where do I start?

We have bite-sized, interactive activities for ya here!

How do I prevent a bad policy?

You're gonna need to learn to count.

If your school board has 7 members, you need to count to 4 votes. 5 members? You need three votes.

You get those votes by proving that students and/or parents care about the issue.

1. Send out a one question Google form. Don't ask "Is this policy good?" Ask "Will this policy have a strong negative impact on you or your child?"

2. Send the results to your principal (or if your principal's scary, a teacher you trust)

Subject: [Student/Parent] survey results show strong opposition to [policy name]

Hi [Principal's Name],

We collected data showing [X percent] of [students/parents] about participation grading, with [# surveyed - you don't have to mention this if it's small].

Can you help me constructively bring this up at the next school board meeting, or navigate informing the school board members?

With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]

You got this! If you run into roadblocks, you'll need to go directly to the majority of your school board members (at least 4/7).

Find out who they are by Googling:

[your school district's name] school board

Try to find anyone who knows them. Maybe they're a student' parent, or they run a local business.

Ask them to introduce you :)

These are elected officials. They depend on public perception. They would love a selfie with you: leverage that.

My school is hiring a new principal/superintendent, what does that mean?

You've found out early, that's awesome. Two options:

DIY

Ask your vice principal if you can be part of the process:

Subject: Student voice in the principal hiring process

Hi [Vice Principal's Name],

I read in school board meeting minutes that we're hiring a new principal! I want to make sure students' perspectives are considered in the process - is there any way I could get involved?

As a [class year] involved in [the clubs/sports you do], I see so many different sides of our community: I trust the school to choose a new principal with great administrative skills, and I want to contribute to choosing one that shares our community's values.

With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]

When they respond, ask to 1. be in the room during interviews, 2. be in the room during deliberation, 3. be given 5 minutes to speak in both situations.

Make sure you get explicit time to speak, and be ready to handle being talked down to.

Get the whole gang

Make sure every student who wants a voice, gets one.

Subject: Student voice in the principal hiring process

Hi [Vice Principal's Name],

I read in school board meeting minutes that we're hiring a new principal! I want to make sure students' perspectives are considered in the process - would it be possible to give students 30mins to an hour with each candidate in the final round?

Students trust the school to choose a new principal with great administrative skills, but making students feel safe and heard is also at the heart of any principal's job! Students deserve an opportunity to ask questions, then give the school feedback (through voting or surveys).

The new principal might have a lot on their plate over the coming months, so this forum may be the only opportunity students get to meet their future principal!

With hope and gratitude,
[Your name]

Fearlessly push for more time. An hour with three candidates is nowhere close to enough.

My school doesn't care what we think.

If you live in one of these 11 states, you have negotiating leverage.

California Texas Michigan Georgia Missouri Illinois Kentucky Mississippi Idaho Washington Delaware

If people use phones in class a lot, you have even more negotiating leverage.

If you want help organizing a schoolwide protest, walkout, boycott, or food fight, reach out.