Decatur Board of Education swears in first-ever student representative
![](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox5atlanta.com/www.fox5atlanta.com/content/uploads/2024/08/764/432/V-1ST-STUDENT-REP-DEKALB-BOE-11P_00.00.01.54.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sophia DElena
DECATUR, Ga. - Decatur High School senior Sophia D'Elena became the first-ever student representative to sit on the Board of Education for the City Schools of Decatur on Tuesday.
D'Elena was sworn in at the Elizabeth Wilson School Support Center at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Her duties, which began immediately after the ceremony, include attending and participating in all school board meetings, except for executive sessions, to provide input on initiatives from a student's perspective. She'll receive course credit for her time.
According to local reports, D'Elena will also have an apprentice. Nia Batra, who is currently a junior at DHS, will spend the school year learning and preparing to become the student rep next year. Eventually, student reps will serve a term of two years.
Generation Z is continuing to prove its investment and interest in taking the future into its own hands. At just 21, Brooke Huckaby became the youngest female mayor ever elected in Georgia history. Political experts have also pointed out that younger voters could effectively decide the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, making unprecedented efforts to appeal to Gen-Z.
RELATED:
- Megan Thee Stallion performs at Kamala Harris' Atlanta rally
- Trump says Young Thug being 'treated unfairly' in Adin Ross interview
"I thought that the board of education was seen as this omniscient group, although they were doing a lot of good for our community," D'Elena explained. "I felt that there was a little bit of a disconnect between the [student body and the board]. And so, having a representative on the board of education, and a student representative, could bring more of a voice."