Student Representative Newt Shastek outlines priorities for FCPS: advisory council reform, security, mental health
July 02, 2026 | FAIRFAX CO PBLC SCHS, School Districts, Virginia
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Newt Shastek, a rising senior at Hayfield Secondary School and the newly elected Student Representative to the Fairfax County School Board, used his first remarks to lay out three core priorities he said he will press during his term.
Shastek said his top priority is “reforming the student advisory council and more broadly enhancing student representation,” and called for reworking some security policies with “a more standardized enforcement of these policies countywide.” He also said he would work on “improving mental health services for FCPS students, by making school social workers and psychologists more easily accessible, and allowing for better support systems across our schools countywide.”
Why it matters: Fairfax County Public Schools enrolls about 180,000 students, and Shastek noted there is a single student representative among the 12 people on the board who otherwise represent parents, teachers and administrators. He said that imbalance motivates his outreach plans and policy focus.
Shastek described several concrete steps he plans to take if elected to the position: meeting with groups of high schools across the county to solicit feedback, raising awareness of the Student Representative role among the student body, creating a simple contact form for students to report issues, and conducting student-led surveys with the Student Advisory Council to gather input on specific policies.
“I would not rest until the students of FCPS were getting the representation that they deserved,” Shastek said, and added he will “make myself as accessible as I can be” and “dedicate all the work I do on the board to the future of FCPS.”
Shastek framed his agenda as representing students from elementary through high school and said he hopes to “inspire change that will last long after my term ends.” The remarks were a statement of priorities and intent; no formal board vote or action was recorded during this address.
Shastek said his top priority is “reforming the student advisory council and more broadly enhancing student representation,” and called for reworking some security policies with “a more standardized enforcement of these policies countywide.” He also said he would work on “improving mental health services for FCPS students, by making school social workers and psychologists more easily accessible, and allowing for better support systems across our schools countywide.”
Why it matters: Fairfax County Public Schools enrolls about 180,000 students, and Shastek noted there is a single student representative among the 12 people on the board who otherwise represent parents, teachers and administrators. He said that imbalance motivates his outreach plans and policy focus.
Shastek described several concrete steps he plans to take if elected to the position: meeting with groups of high schools across the county to solicit feedback, raising awareness of the Student Representative role among the student body, creating a simple contact form for students to report issues, and conducting student-led surveys with the Student Advisory Council to gather input on specific policies.
“I would not rest until the students of FCPS were getting the representation that they deserved,” Shastek said, and added he will “make myself as accessible as I can be” and “dedicate all the work I do on the board to the future of FCPS.”
Shastek framed his agenda as representing students from elementary through high school and said he hopes to “inspire change that will last long after my term ends.” The remarks were a statement of priorities and intent; no formal board vote or action was recorded during this address.
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