A new grassroots student group, dubbed the Baltimore Student Union, was formed in October to tackle issues in the Baltimore City Public School system by pushing for more student representation in leadership decisions.
Organizers say it’s a fight to have their voices heard and have witnessed many issues worth fighting for in the school system. There is already an elected student representative on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners with limited voting power. Organizers say that’s not enough but aren’t interested in joining the board, just influencing its decisions.
There are six chapters at Baltimore City public high schools and more than 50 members so far.
The student collective began after high school student volunteers for candidates running for the school board met. Ethan Eblaghie, is the leader of the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute’s student union chapter. Eblaghie was volunteering for school board candidates Ashley Esposito and Salimah Jasani. The Baltimore Student Union endorsed those candidates but the student advocacy organization has broader goals.
“I thought that it was really important to find a way to get students that weren't necessarily engaged or involved an opportunity to sort of learn more about the election,” Eblaghie said.
For example, a top priority for the Baltimore Student Union is to stop daily safety screening procedures inside school buildings. Students must walk through metal detectors checking for weapons. Organizers say the extensive screening process means many students are penalized because they are late for class due to long lines.
Students want to loosen dress code restrictions, serve as a communication network for all Baltimore city students and require the school to provide menstrual products in all bathrooms.
The new grassroots group wants to reform policies that govern the Baltimore City School Police force.
Saidah Ervin is the chapter leader at Baltimore City College and reviews policies on the school police advisory board as an existing member of student government.
Ervin said she wants “to get clarification about things and just make sure that, A, it's easy for students to understand and B, it's something that actually students want.”
Students plan to use the group to share information and organize both protests and fundraisers. For Sophia Balis, a junior at Baltimore City College, she joined for an opportunity for her voice to be heard and “gives a place for us also to just bring up issues we're interested in.”
The loudest student voice in the school district is the Associated Student Congress of Baltimore City, an elected body that oversees all student government associations and appoints the school board’s student commissioner. There are dozens already involved in the student congress and there’s some overlap in its membership and the student union.
There is also a 32-member Youth Leadership Advisory Council which advises the CEO of the Baltimore City public school system.
But organizers of the Baltimore Student Union say the existing student government doesn’t reflect the entire district because often only students from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Baltimore City College are even aware of the student elections.
“We have students from many different schools,” said Yasmine Blanchard, a junior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
For Camille Coffey, a junior who also attends Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, it’s about education equity at the student union.
“We want students who go to any high school to have an equal chance to go to college or pursue a career,” said Coffey, who is a volunteer outreach and onboarding manager. “To have an equal opportunity to AP classes or technology, and right now, in city schools, that's just not the case.”
