The Greenburgh Central School District recently held its first Superintendent Student Advisory Committee meeting of the year - the first led by Superintendent Dr. Lorenda Chisolm, who joined the District this year. The group was created to ensure that student voice is directly included when the District considers policies and decisions that affect their day-to-day experience.
The Greenburgh Central School District recently held its first Superintendent Student Advisory Committee meeting of the year - the first led by Superintendent Dr. Lorenda Chisolm, who joined the District this year. The group was created to ensure that student voice is directly included when the District considers policies and decisions that affect their day-to-day experience.
Students in grades 5 through 11 took part, including a few who served on last year’s advisory council. The meeting began with introductions, as each student shared their name and grade. One junior summed up the purpose of the group by saying, “I’m here to represent my classmates and that is important.”
After introductions, students moved around the room working at three stations, each focused on a different topic: the District’s expectations for internet-enabled devices and cell phones; whether Woodlands High School should consider an open campus and, if so, for whom; and a station where students could add other issues important to them. Students rotated through all three stations, contributing ideas at each one. Older students invited younger students into the conversation, helping to create an atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable participating.
At the station focused on cell phones, students wrote down that they would like the ability to access their phones during lunch while also recognizing the need for them to remain away during instructional time. The open-campus station prompted students to write questions about eligibility — whether juniors and seniors should have different privileges, how such privileges should be determined, and what should happen when expectations aren’t followed. At the “other topics” station, students identified several issues, including how teachers determine and enforce AI-use policies, especially when students feel their original work has been incorrectly flagged as AI-generated. They also raised questions about lunch options and procedures, the use of personal laptops for classwork, and attendance concerns when excused absences are not reflected accurately.
Once all students had rotated through the stations, the group came back together to look at the flip charts and discuss the input as a whole. This allowed students to hear what their peers had written and clarify points that mattered most to them. Dr. Chisolm reviewed the ideas with the group, identified some items as “for me to take care of,” and emphasized how seriously she takes their feedback. “Your feedback and contributions will be critical to the work we do as a council - this is a huge responsibility,” she told them.
She also connected their input to the way state and local decisions intersect. “The mandate to ban cell phones during the school day comes from the state,” she explained, “but here is where you help to think about the procedures for implementing the policy. And, not just for students, but maybe for teachers and staff as well.” She went on to say that the district needs to think about how the cell phone policy looks at grade bands across the buildings, underscoring the complexity of creating an appropriate policy for all.
Some students acknowledged that council participation may look good on a college application, but the overall sentiment was one of wanting to contribute meaningfully to decisions that affect them. After the working portion of the session, the group shared lunch and had a little time to talk informally about their interests, activities, and school experiences. Dr. Chisolm noted how valuable it is for students of different ages to connect, saying, “When older students build relationships with younger ones, the connections become almost like a form of mentoring. It helps the younger students feel more confident when they move into middle high school…decisions made may not impact the elementary students today, but it will tomorrow.”
The Superintendent Student Advisory Council will meet every other month, giving students a consistent opportunity to raise concerns, offer ideas, and respond to emerging issues. For Dr. Chisolm and the District, the council is both a way to identify topics that need attention and a way to shape policies that reflect what is right for Greenburgh Central informed by the students who live those policies every day.