(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the idea for student delegates at OPRF came from Leyden High School District 212 in the near northwest suburbs.)
The school board at Oak Park and River Forest High School now includes a student delegate who sits at the board table and offers a student’s perspective on issues.
This is an innovation which was approved last fall by the District 200 school board. A student delegate joined the discussions in February of this year.
Supt. Gregory Johnson recalled when student delegate Iris Keane asked her first question: “The board members were looking at each other like oh, this is really excellent.”
Keane said, “I think having a student can really enlighten part of the experience of high school that they don’t get to see.”
Keane has always been interested in school boards and local politics. “When I was nine years old I talked to the Elmwood Park school board about overpopulation in my 5th grade class.”
Keane served as one of two senior student delegates to the OPRF board during the 2024-2025 school year.
The system is set up to have eight student delegates, two from each grade level. The two seniors alternate sitting with the board on a monthly basis. The others sit in the audience during board meetings and help inform the seniors of the opinions of the student body. The two juniors serve two-year terms, training to sit at the table as seniors the year after.
“Your experience when you’re just entering high school as a freshman … can be different than a senior,” said Audrey Williams-Lee, the school board president.
The delegates have been sitting on the board since the Feb. 20 meeting. The process is currently on a trial basis till the end of the 2026 school year, after which the role will be evaluated. The board will decide if they want to continue or make any changes to the system.
Williams-Lee said, “The students make us think, they’ve raised questions and asked things in meetings that help you take on a new perspective or see a side of the issue we haven’t seen before.”
According to Johnson and Williams-Lee, the process was originally inspired by a similar position at Leyden High School District 212 in near northwest suburbs. Williams-Lee said, “We definitely had to do our homework.” After research, the position was proposed to the board and was unanimously approved last September.
After that, Johnson, Fred Arkin a current school board member, and Tom Cofsky, recently retired board president, began the interview-based application process. According to Johnson, about 20 students applied across all grade levels. There is no student voice in the selection process.
While the role gives student voices on the board, its impact is limited by the Illinois School Code. While the delegates do sit at the board table, they do not get to vote or attend closed door meetings because they are not elected officials.
Johnson also highlighted the experience that it grants the students sitting on the board: “It is a great learning experience and leadership experience for the students who are on the board.”
While Keane agreed that the student delegate position was a good experience and a helpful addition to the board, Keane also felt that there is room for improvement. “There is an opportunity to bring a more diverse voice to the table,” said Keane.
Keane also thought that there should be more communication outside of meetings between the delegates and the superintendent.
(Editor’s note: Jonah Clark is a student at OPRF and a member of the editorial staff at the Trapeze, the student newspaper.)