The Montgomery County School Board passed a resolution Jan. 17 adding a student representative position.

According to the resolution, student representatives will serve one-year terms during which they are expected to “attend all regular, open meetings and complete assignments for research and data collection when requested by the School Board.”

Superintendent Mark Miear said he thinks adding a student representative to the Board will be beneficial.

“It’s great to have students involved in the process and from my experiences in previous school divisions they have been able to give valuable input during meetings,” Miear said.

Miear said he is also hoping to improve communication with students through the creation of a Student Advisory Council that will meet with him periodically during the year. The council will have a student from every middle school and two students from every high school.

Miear said the representative to the board will be selected from one of these students.

Asked what qualities he is looking for in a student representative, Miear said they will be “a well-rounded student who is in touch with the student body of their school.”

Student representatives will not be permitted in closed sessions, nor will they have access to confidential information or be allowed to vote on any board decisions.