LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Students silenced. A bill is killed that would have let students be appointed as a student trustee to county school boards around the state.
FOX5 heard from students and a Clark County School District teacher who supports the bill, as well as those who had questions about it.
Several students thought it would have easily passed and now, they feel cheated.
But lawmakers who questioned some of the language in the bill, say it ultimately didn’t get a passing grade.
Take it from local high school senior, Kean Allen Dino. “It’s kind of disheartening and it makes me feel unseen as a student,” Dino said.
Unseen and without a voice, too. Dino is the Student Council/Student Body President at Somerset Academy Losee who is used to making change.
But with Assembly Bill 316 dying, he says he feels stuck.
“It makes me feel like the system that I’m currently in is not meant for me because it doesn’t take into consideration my experience as a student,” Dino said.
High school senior, Michael Keyes knows what goes in on the classroom, and is able to voice those concerns regularly.
That’s because he currently serves on the Nevada State Board of Education as the one student member, representing half a million students.
“Giving them a seat at the table and bringing them in, that would have changed the entire landscape of education here in the state,” Keyes said. “So sad that a common sense policy like this was shot down.”
Now he’s trying to hold Assemblymember, Selena Torres-Fossett accountable with a petition for letting AB 316 die in the Assembly Education Committee after Keyes says it received unanimous support.
“There were concerns when it came down to the bill hearing, but those had been resolved before the deadline,” Keyes said.
Torres-Fossett’s team tells FOX5 she was tied up given the deadline to get votes on the floor by Tuesday night.
Some of those issues were brought up at a recent committee meeting. Specifically, how much time it would take away from a student’s busy schedule, sensitive information they would have access to, and how much money they’d pocket.
“According to this $750 per-meeting, this kid could be making $50,000 a year as a school board trustee. To require them to attend 75% of all the meetings that the school board members have. I’m not sure that’s doable,” Assemblymember Gregory Koenig said.
With AB 316, 11th or 12th grade student trustees would have the same rights as fellow adult trustees, attend 75% of meetings, and serve as a liaison to introduce matters affecting students.
The only difference? They can’t vote.
With the bill dying, 2024 Nevada State Teacher of the Year from CCSD, Laura Jeanne Penrod says students aren’t the priority.
“Unfortunately, I think that we don’t value student voices as much as we should,” Penrod said.
The students pushing for the bill say only about 16% of Nevada students have student representation on their board and add Clark County has no representation.
When FOX5 asked if CCSD would consider adding a student trustee to the board, the district tells us: “Student voices are important to the district’s decision-making process, and the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council plays a critical role in ensuring that the superintendent and trustees hear directly from our students.”
They’ll present their latest recommendations to the board on May 8th.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
