As we go through this school year, it’s important to take advantage of all the opportunities at our fingertips! Participating in leadership workshops and becoming a leader in your community are important tools to have in your back pocket.
How to testify in front of the Maryland State Board of Education
Testifying in front of the Maryland Board of Education is a great way to be a leader in your community and make your voice heard! In order to testify publicly, you must call in by phone during a State BOE meeting. When you testify remember you are only permitted 3 minutes of speaking time. When preparing to testify make sure to include why this matter is important to you, with your name, current school, county, and how you are being directly impacted by the outcome. If possible, topics included in public comment should pertain to topics being discussed at the current board meeting.
The following general guidelines should be followed when testifying:
Public comment submissions may not be related to personnel matters or issues pending in appeals to a local board or to the State Board.
Comments shall be directed to the Board, not to an individual Board member(s).
The State Board will not respond directly to public comment submissions.
To make sure your voice is heard at a BOE meeting you need to register with the Office of State either by calling 410-767-0467 and leaving a message or by emailing your request to stateboard.msde@maryland.gov. Registration for testimony opens one week prior to the BOE meeting and will close at 3 pm on the last business day before the scheduled meeting. Sign-ups are first come first serve and are limited to 10 people, so don’t be late! After you register you will be given a notice to confirm your registration and will be provided with the call-in number and passcode to join the meeting.
Testifying to Local BOE
Testifying to your local BOE is another great way to be a leader and advocate for your community. If you have concerns about your school or amongst schools in your county, bring it to your BOE!. Each individual county has different ways of testifying. Below are links to each county’s BOE website so you can learn more about how to testify to your County BOE!
You can testify on a wide range of topics in your county, anything that you feel should be addressed by your county BOE.
National Student Leadership Conference 2021
The National Student Leadership Conference is a great way to learn more about how to be a leader in specific areas of interest. NSCL offers leadership training in business, government & law, S.T.E.M, leadership and community, and art & design. These fast-paced, high-level, interactive summer sessions allow for an amazing way to spend your summer building up skills to excel in the future workforce. As Maryland students, we have the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to Georgetown and American University where the conference will take place.
However you choose to be a leader, remember your voice matters in decisions that affect you! Becoming a leader in your community is such an important thing to do!