Students on School Boards in Connecticut

Here are different facts about roles for students on school boards in Connecticut.

There are 10 voting members of the Connecticut State Board of Education, 13 members total, including two students who serve as non-voting members.
Students cannot legally vote on the state school board in Connecticut.
Law: In 1998, the Connecticut General Statutes Title 10, Chapter 163 was amended to:
- Require the Commissioner to appoint a State Student Advisory Council on Education (SSACE).
- The Commissioner must ensure the council membership “(1) includes male and female students, (2) is racially, ethnically, and economically diverse, (3) includes students from each Congressional district in the state, and (4) includes students who have disabilities.”
- Students can serve on the council for up to three years, but cannot serve after high school graduation.
- Require that the Connecticut State Board of Education include two nonvoting student members.
- Each student member on the State Board is a public high school senior with at least a B+ grade point average.

Students are not formal members of the state school board association, but are offered specific training to support their involvement.
The state school board convention sometimes has a workshop for student board members.

More Info

Please cite this information as follows:

Fletcher, A. and Kunst, K. (2015) Students on School Boards Toolbox. Olympia, WA: SoundOut. Retrieved [xx/xx/20xx] from https://soundout.org/students-on-school-boards-toolbox.