Dear Editor:

The GeorgeYoung4Change campaign team and I have recognized a universal theme being expressed by our parents and community members through our engagements and emails we receive. The vast majority of the gripes and issues coming from those who have reached out to us, especially those under the age of 25, can be summarized as they do not feel as if they are properly represented within the School Board meetings. I’ve received a plethora of feedback or messages stating they have observed the meeting discussions and listened to the comments from board members and they rarely reflect their concerns or opinions on the subject matter.

The people of Antioch are pleading for a voice that represents the way they think and has the same concerns as they do. The amount of frustration that I have heard from our parents is overwhelming but that frustration only fuels my determination to get my name out and strive to win this campaign so that together we can make the needed CHANGE in Antioch’s education system.  I want to bring the voice of the community to the board. I want to make sure that parents and students know they are heard.

The topic of having a Student Trustee appointed to the Board has been on the board agenda for the past few months.  Each time the topic is brought up it appears to be met with increasing opposition. As far as I can tell, no matter what the rebuttal, whether it be that the student did not follow the correct procedure (even though the student followed the directions that were given to her), or that the petition was not correct, or that the Board is unsure of the Bylaws pertaining to the implementation and appointment of the position, the one thing that is consistent is the board’s request that the petition meets the California Department of Education Code requirements.  Our students have demonstrated that they want this, so I have taken the needed steps to make this petition happen.  I am writing this letter today to ask that current 2020-2021 High School Students, registered in the Antioch six public high schools please consider signing the AUSD Student Trustee petition that is now available on Change.org.  

The CA Ed Code requires 500 signatures, however, I am asking for 700 signatures as a cushion to cover for any signatures that may be disqualified for reasons chosen by the AUSB Legal team.  Last spring the amazing Antioch Student Body was able to bring together 500 signatures, so I am confident that it will not take much time to collect these 700.

This petition is to open the Student Trustee position on the Antioch Unified School Board, which will then force the board to create the voting bylaws in which one student, to be chosen by their peers via an election, will sit on the Antioch Unified School Board, as a Trustee.  This student will not have the right to vote, however, they will have the right to be part of each discussion leading up to votes, therefore bringing a student voice to the board.

This is just one of many steps I am taking to bring about the changes our schools so desperately need. By giving the students their voice in decisions that directly impact them, we can revitalize the feelings of school pride within our students. Something that has been lacking for quite some time. That pride leads to greater student involvement within the School and the community. This then sparks the flame that ignites the greater community, i.e., parents, teachers, residents, business owners, etc., uplifting our community, providing more resources, and allowing additional help on campus from parents and community groups that in the past have been pushed away.  Antioch public schools should not be a place where children are sent to fail, they should be the place we send our children to succeed. Together we can bring CHANGE to Antioch Schools.  For more information on how you can be part of the CHANGE visit georgeyoung4change.com

Petition Link: https://www.change.org/AUSD_StudentBoardTrustee

Thank you,

SSG George Young

2020 AUSD Board Trustee Candidate, Area 1

 

This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2020 at 2:16 pm and is filed under Education, Opinion, Letters to the Editor, Politics & Elections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.