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Since the 1960's, students have been granted the power to exercise certain rights; these rights, bestowed upon students by authorities from school administrators to the Supreme Court, have not always been used to their fullest. Slowly, student rights have become more respected. It is the time for full enforcement of student rights in Montgomery County.
Before 1969, Montgomery County Public Schools had no document stating student rights. Student rights prior to this date were often ignored. In 1969, the first student rights policy, called Student Involvement in the Educational Process, was published and adopted by the Board of Education. In 1974 this document was revised and made into the present Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. Ever since 1975, there have been great strides taken on the parts of both education authorities and students toward the end of the abuse of student rights. Every secondary student attending a Montgomery County Public School receives A Students' Guide to Rights and Responsibilities. It is also available in several other languages (Chinese, Cambodian, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese). Most students also receive their school's handbook. Guidance counselors are readily available to assist a student in need. Administrators and other faculty members follow strict regulations as to what they are allowed to do with or about a student. And, there are student advocates.
Student advocates are peers who have developed, through training, the ability to aid fellow students with questions concerning their rights. A student advocate also serves as an intermediary during a conflict. A student advocate needs to be thoughtful, well-spoken, resourceful, patient, and understanding. He/she must be able to listen to more than one side of a story, and must be honest with himself/herself and others. An advocate must also be open-minded and unbiased towards administration and students. It is the student advocate's job, when asked, to help protect the rights of students, which often means alerting the proper school personnel to violations or negligence of rights.
Additionally, the Student Advocate is trained to be alert to student statements concerning depression and suicide. The advocate is responsible to alert appropriate school personnel to give assistance to these students. Weapons, drugs, runaway, child abuse, harassment, bullying, etc., training is also included in the student advocate's training. Students are the first line of defense. They often hear and know about incidents in school before the adults. The student advocate has pledged to seek appropriate help and resources to make each school a safe and educational climate for all students.
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