Community Engagement Tour of Boston Public Schools: Youth Community Meeting Hosted by Sociedad Latina Youth Leaders and the Boston Student Advisory Council

On Thursday, December 5th, Sociedad Latina Youth Community Organizers (YCOs) co-hosted a city-wide meeting for Boston Public School (BPS) high school students to converse with Dr. Brenda Cassellius, Boston Public Schools’ new Superintendent. She oversees 55,000 students and is finishing her tour of all 125 Boston Public Schools (BPS). The evening commenced with a brief presentation by Dr. Cassellius, outlining her vision of the future for BPS, including a redesign project beginning with the highest needs schools, greater equity among fund disbursement, increased capacity to work with English Learners, and more. Our YCO’s have been advocating for these topics over the last three years, with the support of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Our YCO’s also ensured that attendees of the event would receive out-of-school time credit for their participation.

Their student-centered learning platform has raised awareness around the increased need for individualized student learning plans, dual-enrollment opportunities with local colleges and universities, internship placements for high school juniors and seniors, workforce development workshops, and college access support for English Learners, Latino students, and youth of color. They also contributed to BPS' school redesign initiative, developing a model of a youth friendly, youth designed trauma-informed spaces. Their video can be viewed here!   

Our YCOs, the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC), BPS Alumni, and youth in other out-of-school time programs broke into small group discussions. Some topics that were discussed were transportation, the High School Redesign project, cultural competency, and school safety and wellness. One of the youth commented to the group on the importance of knowing your rights as a student. This led to a lengthy and important discussion on BSAC’s Know Your Rights Act, which informs all BPS youth on their rights as a student. The accompanying iOS and Android application can be accessed here. 

The night closed with a “Question & Answer” session with Dr. Cassellius. She answered tough questions surrounding gender-neutral bathrooms, availability of school counselors, mental health services, and more. Sociedad Latina’s Youth Community Organizers played a key role in Dr. Cassellius’ hire in May, with many of our youth participating in the BPS Superintendent Election Committee.