With major changes in school policy in the 2024-2025 school year, it is more essential than ever for students to have a voice in school politics. With the Student Climate Team, serious student input is now possible.
The Student Climate Team met for its first time this year on Oct. 31, led by Vice Principal Danielle Cota. Membership was extended to all interested club leaders for tri-weekly meetings on Thursdays.
According to Cota, “Student Climate Team was started because we have an adult Climate Team. And so we thought it would be important to have all stakeholders in a space, having a voice around climate and culture of the building.”
After introducing a strict cell phone policy with Yondr, Cota predicted a harsh wave of feedback from students this year, making the Student Climate Team’s feedback critical to staff-student relations.
The Student Climate Team was initially run in the 2022-2023 academic year with success in hearing student voices, but it disbanded the following school year due to Cota’s leave.
This year, the team aims to analyze Student Engagement Instrument data from a survey taken by all Cleveland students so they can find ways to make the school more inclusive and enjoyable. The survey included questions regarding feelings of belonging and safety in the school, aggregated by gender, race, and sexuality.
Results of the survey showed 18.18 percent of seniors believe that the school rules are fair and 35.87 percent of female students feel safe at school among data from responses to 13 other questions.
These alarmingly low numbers show that change is urgently needed to improve student life. However, through this work, Cota learned that “it takes a really long time to figure out what you want to work on.”
This is the first year the Student and Adult Climate Teams will cooperate, increasing transparency between students and adults on campus. The groups intend to meet together once a month.
The impact of increased communication between students and staff will be seen as the groups continue to meet, creating a better environment at the school.
