Ianne Salvosa – a senior at Liberty High School in Lake St. Louis, Missouri – sits alone in most of her classes, counting the floor tiles to ensure she’s six feet away from students and teachers, who sometimes fail to wear masks correctly. When her school district transitioned its students from hybrid to in-person learning, surveys went out to parents and teachers to gauge their reactions. Students, however, weren’t surveyed.
“When they force us to choose between safety and education and cannot enforce appropriate measures to keep us safe, I can’t say I have faith in our leaders,” she said.
An organizing fellow at the student-led nonprofit Student Voice, Salvosa shared her experience as a part of the organization’s online panel on Monday, which called on education secretary nominee Dr. Miguel Cardona to directly involve students in decision making at the U.S. Department of Education. High school student activists spoke about what they think equitable education should look like amid and beyond COVID-19, including the college admissions process.
Students highlighted a report by Student Voice called “A Roadmap to Authentically Engage Youth Voice in the U.S. Department of Education.” The report is an outgrowth of virtual listening sessions with 1,500 elementary, middle school and high school students from across the U.S. about their hopes for the education department going forward, a part of the #StartWithStudents campaign.
It recommends the department hold regular listening sessions and roundtable discussions with students; include students on all commissions, workgroups and convenings across its offices; hire staffers focused on youth engagement; and create a federal advisory committee with student members about the department’s role in addressing intersections between COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.
“Although adults hold expertise, students live the experiences, and often through the disparities that are very rarely called out in our public education system,” said Pragya Upreti, a Student Voice ambassador and high school junior at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky.
For example, Meril Mousoom – also a Student Voice ambassador and a senior at Stuyvesant High School in New York City – described their experience as a transgender student of color.
