2015 was a busy year for District 211 and surrounding schools. Not only does the Title IX transgender locker room issue remain in the process of being resolved, but gun possession on school property threatened both Barrington and Stevenson High School students. Common issues such as minor drug usage and bullying remain prevalent as well.

School executives, concerned parents, and law enforcement officials have done a great job in working to rectify these problems, but the true solutions, the ones that will really have a lasting effect, have to also come from the minds of students. 

The teenagers who are directly impacted by these issues have their own opinions and values that are just as valid as anyone else’s. Adults do have more experience and maturity in dealing with these situations, and students still require their guidance and direction, but they also need to start speaking up.

Many already have done so, making an often overlooked difference in their community. Students who attended the District 211 Board Meeting in both favor and opposition of the transgender student in issue provided the community with valuable information. They formed their own arguments, demonstrated how the issue may impact their fellow students, and prepared possible solutions.

One Palatine student, senior Julia Clarke, attended the aforementioned Board Meeting in hopes of speaking her opinion on the matter.

“At the end of the day, this is a school district, which has the sole purpose of educating students,” Clarke said. “It is completely centered around us, so our opinions should be taken seriously because it’s primarily us, not our parents, not the community, that will be affected day to day by whatever decisions the board makes. 

Regardless of their stance on these recent issues, the students who participated in the meeting are the type of people who all high school students should look up to. 

If students missed the D211 Community Engagement Meeting tonight, they can attend one at Schaumburg High School at 7pm on Feb 2 or email [email protected].