Harford School Board Supports Partial Student Voting Rights

At Monday's meeting, the board voted to approve the legislative platform that would allow .

The final vote was 8-1, with Robert Frisch as the lone vote against, according to a story on ExploreHarford.com.

Student representatives have partial voting rights on some school boards elsewhere in the state.

"Implementation of the student voice through partial student voting rights provides students with applied representation and empowers them to actively engage their education," reads a statement from the Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils.

The matter will next go to the Maryland General Assembly.

For the past two years, Harford County students have had support from the school board on the voting issue, student Christina McIntyre said at last week's meeting. Last year the students were close to having a bill passed in the state legislature. The bill was approved in the House of Delegates, but not in the state senate.

With partial voting rights, the student representative would not be able to vote on matters involving the budget, school boundaries, appointment of the superintendent, collective bargaining or expulsion.

Students could be included in closed sessions about permitted topics, but could be excluded from closed sessions for any reason.