The Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) is seeking applications from high school sophomores to serve as the new high school junior student representative on the SBE Board for the 2024-25 school year. The application deadline is Jan. 26, 2024.

Now in its sixth year, the Student Representatives of the Mississippi State Board of Education program includes a high school junior and a high school senior who serve as non-voting SBE members to share their viewpoints on policy decisions regarding Mississippi public schools.

The current SBE junior representative, Kate Riddle of Lafayette High School, will serve as the senior representative in 2024-25.

Through a competitive process, the SBE will appoint a new junior representative to serve a two-year term starting July 1, 2024.

The top 10 semi-finalists among applicants, including the junior representative appointed and an alternate representative, automatically get to serve on the State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. 28 students were eligible applicants for the 2023-24 junior representative position.

The SBE adopted a policy in 2018 outlining criteria for adding student representatives to the State Board.

Student representatives are responsible for attending monthly SBE meetings and any standing committees or subcommittees to which they are assigned.

They are excused from school to attend SBE meetings as official school business, and they also work as liaisons for their peers to SBE.

The application packet must be mailed and postmarked by Jan. 26, 2024. Access the application at mdek12.org/MBE/Student-Representatives.

A video component of the application must be uploaded by 5 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2024.

For questions, contact Donna Hales at (601) 359-2331 or email dhales@mdek12.org.