Student wants countywide representation

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
November 4, 2004
Greg Mangum believes Lauderdale County public school students should have a representative at monthly school board meetings to look out for students' concerns and to express their views.
Mangum is a 10th-grader at Southeast High School.
Mangum said that while he would not expect the school board to make decisions in every situation based on what students want, he would like them to know that students are involved in their schools.
Last year at Southeast Elementary School, Mangum began the Lauderdale County Teenage Republicans; the group now has about 15 active members.
Mangum proposes that students at all county public schools elect another student between 15 and 18 years old to represent their peers before the Lauderdale County School Board at its monthly meetings.
Mangum said he would like to see a yearly, countywide election open to all citizens to choose the Lauderdale County School District youth representative. The office would be non-partisan.
Lauderdale County School Superintendent David Little said he would like to see students involved in the school board meetings.
Little said he would like to sit down with Mangum and work out a plan for the student election.
However, Barbara Jones, a member of the Lauderdale County School Board, isn't sure a student representative is necessary.
In her six years as a school board member, Jones said she has never seen a student come to a board meeting to address the board.
But Mangum is convinced a student representative is necessary.