Student board members press district on uniforms and attendance; superintendent launches student leadership council

Student board members used the public-student portion of the Rome City School District meeting to raise concerns about inconsistent classroom assessments, athletic uniform orders and snow-day policies; the Superintendent announced a new superintendent student leadership council and pledged follow-up.

At the start of the student remarks, a student board member said the Art and French Club's Halloween event drew about 200 community members and described confusion about a new growth-assessment requirement: "We were told that it was mandatory through our superintendent," the student said, adding that classroom implementation felt inconsistent across teachers.

Student concerns and district response
Students also told the board athletic uniforms promised earlier in the year had not arrived for some teams. One student said orders slated for January and August were not placed and that "we weren't, like, able to participate" fully in a teacher-appreciation event because cheerleaders had not been informed; the student asked the board what would be done.

The Superintendent acknowledged the concerns and committed to follow up: "We will follow-up with our athletic director to make sure that the requisition and that the actual uniforms are going to be placed," the Superintendent said, and added the district would examine the equity implications and work with the CFO to resolve procurement or distribution issues.

Student leadership council and attendance
The Superintendent announced a new superintendent student leadership council that will include students from second grade through 12th grade; the first meeting will be from 45 p.m. and will use breakout groups by elementary, middle and high school. "It is important that we always put students' voice first," the Superintendent said, describing the council as a chance for students to give feedback before the district implements changes.

Students asked about snow days and delays; the Superintendent said the guiding principle is safe transport and keeping students in school when it can be done safely. The Superintendent noted the district is monitoring attendance data and said the district will continue to address absenteeism as a system-wide issue.

Next steps and context
Board members asked staff to report back with confirmation from the athletic director and procurement about uniforms, and the Superintendent directed the business office and athletic director to follow up so teams will have uniforms for upcoming seasons. The student leadership council will report student feedback back to building staff and the administration.

The student remarks, superintendent commitments and follow-up were a substantive part of the meeting's public engagement, and the board encouraged students to bring issues forward in the new council.