Student Board Members Sworn In

Student Board Members (L-R) Laila Alhajeri, Sonali Sharma and Rayquan Strickland  

On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, the leaders of the Board of Education of The City of St. Louis and Saint Louis Public Schools are pleased to announce that three senior students will be sworn in at tonight’s Board Meeting at 801 N. 11ths Street, at 6:15 p.m., just ahead of the regular meeting.

This is the first time SLPS has sponsored students in this position. In accordance with By Laws passed by the Board of Education of the City of St. Louis on Sept. 2019, Laila Alhajeri of Collegiate High School, Sonali Sharma of Metro High School, and Rayquan Strickland of Central VPA High School will join the Board as non-voting members.   

Board Member Natalie Vowell, sponsor of board bylaw which created this program, explains, “We are excited for this opportunity to open a new channel through which student voices can be heard.  We interviewed a number of deserving students in the vetting process.  We selected these young people because we believe they have the leadership qualities needed and will bring a new perspective to the table.” 

Ms. Vowell added, “The Student Board Member term is for the course of school year 2022-2023.  They will not attend executive sessions, but they will attend regular board meetings on a schedule that fits in with their school and work commitments and they will participate in training and professional board development as determined appropriate by the full Board.”