Lawsuit to stop student voting member on Howard Co. Board of Education

Lawsuit to stop student voting member on Howard Co. Board of Education

RIGHTS ON THE HOWARD COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATION HEADS TOCOURT.

FOLLOWING A VIRTUALHEARING TONIGHT -- A JUDGEWILL DECIDE WHETHER STUDENTSCAN CONTINUE TO HAVE BOTH AVOICE AND A VOTE ON MATTERSAFFECTING THEIR EDUCATION.WMAR-2 NEWS' MARK ROPER ISLIVE IN ELLICOTT CITY OUTSIDETHE HOWARD COUNTY DEPARTMENTOF EDUCATION.

MARK -- WHATPROMPTED THIS CASE TO GO TOCOURT?IT WAS A HOWARD COUNTY SCHOOLBOARD VOTE ON WHETHER TO RE-OPEN SCHOOLS.

TWO HOWARDCOUNTY PARENTS FILED A LAWSUITOUT OF FRUSTRATION THATSCHOOLS REMAINED CLOSED ANDTHAT A STUDENT BOARD MEMBERSHOULDN'T HAVE A VOTE ON THESCRITICAL DECISIONHOWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARDMEETINGS HAVE GONE DIGITALDURING THE PANDEMIC.

AND ONSCREEN YOU'LL FIND SEVEN ADULTMEMBERS ELECTED BY VOTERS ANDONE YOUTH MEMBER ELECTED BSTUDENTS.

When we startedwatching the board ofeducation meetings, everysingle vote about reopeningplans ended in gridlock, 4-4gridlock.

And we noticed thata student was part of thatgridlock, a minor HOWARDCOUNTY PARENTS TRACI SPIEGELAND KIM FORD FILED A LAWSUITTO NOT ONLY PUT AN END TO THEGRIDLOCK BUT THE BINDING VOTEOF THE STUDENT MEMBER WHO SITON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.howard county is one of thefew that allows their studentmember to have a binding vote,we don't believe a minorshould have a vote on majoissues right now, when astudent member has a vote, asuper majority is required topass anything, that means theonly way to pass any sort ofmotion at the school boardlevel is by a 5-3 vote AND INTHE EVENT OF A 4-4 TIE -- AMOTION DIES -- AS IN LASTDECEMBER'S VOTE TO REOPENSCHOOLS BY FEBRUARY.

THREEMEMBERS ALONG WITH THE STUDENTMEMBER VOTED NO.

WHICH IS WHY-- WITH AN EVEN NUMBER OFEIGHT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS --THE ATTORNEY REPRESENTINGTHESE PARENTS HOPES TO PUT ANEND TO STALEMATES BY TAKINGAWAY THE BINDING VOTESTUDENT BOARD MEMBERS.

If weeliminate the student membervote, then we get back toregular majority rule, 4-3,we'll have a seven-memberboard, and as the statutesdictate, you only need fourvotes when the student memberis disqualified SPIEGEL ANDFORD'S LAWSUIT MAKES THEARGUMENT THE STUDENT MEMBER OFTHE BOARD IS CHOSEN BY OTHERSTUDENTS WHO AREN'T OLD ENOUGHTO VOTE IN OFFICIAL STATEELECTIONS.

THEREFORE -- THEYBELIEVE STUDENT MEMBERS SHOULDNOT HAVE THE SAME VOTINGRIGHTS AS ELECTED MEMBERS OFTHE BOARD.

LAWYERS FOR THEHOWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARDWOULD NOT COMMENT ON THEPENDING LITIGATION.

HOWEVER --COURT DOCUMENTS STATE THEIRPOSITION.

THEY ARGUE THEMARYLAND CONSTITUTION DOESN'TREQUIRE SCHOOL BOARD POSITIONSTO BE FILLED THROUGH A FORMALELECTION BY REGISTERED VOTERS-- SINCE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLYCREATED THE STUDENT BOARD SEAAS A NON- ELECTED POSITION.

Ifthe plaintiff's theory here isto be believed, and if thevoting rights of the howardcounty member are ruled to beunconstitutional, that willdisrupt a legal framework bywhich voting rights haveexisted for student members inthe state of maryland for over50 years EMILY WILSON IS ANATTORNEY REPRESENTING THEINTERESTS OF 128 FORMERMARYLAND STUDENT BOARDMEMBERS.

THEY -- ALONG WITHTHE SCHOOL BOARD ITSELF -- AREASKING THE COURT TO DISMITHIS CASE.

This is a reallyrich tradition in maryland.it's something that we asmaryland residents should allbe very proud of that we valuestudent voice and studentinput, in education policymaking and we shouldabsolutely be seeking toprotect that at all costs AS AFORMER HOWARD COUNTY STUDENTMEMBER OF THE BOARD -- TOMI(TOAMY) WILLIAMS LENT HIS NAMETO THIS CASE IN SUPPORT OFPAST -- PRESENT -- AND FUTURERETURNING TO THE CLASSROOM TWOWEEKS AGO -- ALTHOUGHDEPENDING UPON WHAT GRADETHEY'RE IN -- MOST STUDENTSWON'T START GOING BACK TOSCHOOL UNTIL SOMETIME BETWEENTHE END OF THIS MONTH ANDMID-APRIL.

LIVE IN ELLICOTTCITY -- MARK ROPER -- WMAR 2NEWA weak area of low press