Students express public education views at SCOPE

Students were participating in a program called SCOPE (Student Congress on Policies in Education), an annual event hosted by the Tennessee School Boards Association. With 2007 marking its 26th year, SCOPE is designed to give students a voice where public education issues are concerned and to involve young people in finding solutions to the topics that are discussed. Attendees participated in mock school board sessions, where they assumed the roles of school board members, school officials, parents, students and concerned citizens.

They then chose speakers who debated the following four topics: Off-Campus cyber-bullying, random drug testing of students, Bible literature as an elective and single-sex learning environments

Participants are chosen by their local school systems, and many are active in student government.

Student ideas and other information gathered at SCOPE are published in a report that is sent to all participants, school boards, key legislators and the State Board of Education. Students are asked to report the findings of the conference to their local school board.

The Tennessee School Boards Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization, is a federation of the state?s local school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of Tennessee?s public school students and districts.