Student Advocacy Training: November 18, 2008
Training Registration Deadline: November 13, 2008
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. (Location TBD)

Training for all middle and high schools! We are looking for two-five diverse students from your school to be trained as a student advocate. Contact your SGA advisor if you want to be trained to be a student advocate at your school.

Flyer and additional information for 2008 coming soon.

The Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association (MCR-SGA) is offering student advocacy training. Student advocates are peers who have developed through training the ability to aid fellow students with questions concerning their rights and other concerns. A student advocate needs to be thoughtful, well-spoken, resourceful, patient, understanding, honest; able to listen to more than one side of a story; and open-minded and unbiased towards the 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 those rights.

Additionally, the student advocate is trained to be alert to student statements concerning depression and suicide. The advocate is responsible for notifying appropriate school personnel to give assistance to these students. Student advocates’ training includes the topics of weapons, drugs, runaway, child abuse, harassment, and bullying. Student advocates pledge to seek appropriate help and resources to make each school a safe and educational climate for all students.

The student advocacy training will be held (location TBD) from 7:00–8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18, 2008. On or before Thursday, November 13, 2008, please contact your school's SGA advisor and give him/her your name, grade in school, and e-mail address. Each school will be able to send between two-five qualified and interested students to the training.

Student advocates should:
- Have access to and knowledge of the rules and regulations regarding the rights of students, which are guaranteed by MCPS and the Maryland State Board of Education, as well as state and federal law.
- Advise students in conflict of their rights and what actions can be taken.
- Advocate the student's side of a case in which the student's rights have been violated or neglected.
- Be willing to give his/her time to a case, constantly researching the guidelines and regulations pertaining to a case.
- Be able to search out the truth from several different stories, and be neutral in investigating a case.
- Be honest with a student while advising him/her on a case.
- Be able to distinguish between a difference of opinion and a true violation of rights.
- Be alert to statements of depression, suicide, weapons, abuse, harassment, bullying, etc., and seek adult intervention

History of the Program:

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.

Updated July 9, 2008 | Maintained by Karen Crawford