Sandburg student urges LPS board to give students a seat at the table

Maimoona Qureshi, a Sandburg High School student and member of the mayor's youth multicultural advisory board, used the board's public-comment period on April 14 to press for stronger student representation in district decision-making. "There needs to be students at the table for that, too," she said, urging the district to include students in conversations about school design, discipline and issues affecting identity.

Qureshi described having faced Islamophobia after her family moved to Lincoln and said those experiences shaped how she engages with the school system. She referenced her testimony before the Nebraska Legislature on LB 960, a bill that would provide for students to serve in a non-voting capacity on local school boards, and said she had not seen enough districts support measures to include student voices.

Her public comment asked the board to consider how student perspectives could inform long-term planning from facilities to instructional practices. The board acknowledged her remarks during the meeting; no formal action was taken during the session.