[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 65 (Monday, May 20, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E857-E858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   STUDENT CONGRESSIONAL TOWN MEETING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 20, 2002

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the outstanding work done 
by participants in my Student Congressional Town Meeting held this 
Spring at the University of Vermont. These participants were part of a 
group of high school students from around Vermont who testified about 
the concerns they have as teenagers, and about what they would like to 
see government do regarding these concerns.

     Jessica Predom and Autumn Rozon Regarding Teenage Stereotypes

       JESSICA PREDOM. People, when they hear the word ``teen,'' 
     think of bombs, fires, smoking, sex. Although some teens have 
     experience with these things at a young age doesn't mean we 
     all have. People these days are so hypocritical. Everyone was 
     a teen, but it is like, if people hit 30, they forget what 
     being 18 is like. I know some kids have sex and do drugs, but 
     a majority do not. just because some teens do, teens like us 
     get classified into a group we would rather not be in.
       AUTUMN ROZON. Just the other day, I was looking at the back 
     of Glade air freshener bottle, and it said: ``Warning. 
     Flammable. Keep away from small children and teens to avoid 
     substance abuse.'' I can see where the small-children 
     statement comes in, but keeping air freshener away from 
     teens? I mean, come on. I didn't know our reputation was that 
     bad. It's almost painful to see someone be turned down for a 
     job because he or she has green hair and two piercings. 
     Automatically, when you see a teen like that, you 
     automatically think: Druggie. What most people think is not 
     the true story. It is almost like an instance where someone 
     hears part of your conversation and reacts before they know 
     the whole thing. Now, my town is small, so when you are 
     driving down Main Street, you see some kids sitting outside 
     the grocery store, you think to yourself: They're up to no 
     good. When, really, they're just waiting for their friend who 
     works there.
       A few years ago, there was an incident that we all 
     remember. The tragedy at Columbine was one of the biggest 
     scares to our country. Because of the shooting at Columbine, 
     teens around the world were looked as something that could 
     explode at any time. The headlines focus on the teen part of 
     the shooting, and not on the main issue of the two kids who 
     did it. By stereotyping like this, teens feel the need to 
     rebel. Rebellion is the cause of most kid's sexual 
     experiences and drug abuse.
       The way our world looks at teens causes them to do certain 
     things. If people could stop looking at us as teens, and look 
     at us as young adults, we would start to accept ourselves and 
     our community more. I think everyone has a good side, and 
     people in our world are not letting teens express their good 
     side. Don't judge us because of what we wear or what we look 
     like. Take time to get to know us, and you will see that most 
     of us do not do drugs, do not have sex, and do not drink. We 
     have lives and we are trying to live them while we still can.

      Daniel May Regarding Student Representation on School Boards

       DANIEL MAY. Good afternoon, Congressman Sanders.
       I am presenting the issue of student representation on 
     local school boards.
       In our state of Vermont, there are 18 high schools that 
     have at least one student representative on their board, 
     while other high schools don't. I pity these schools who 
     don't, because, by having at least one student on the school 
     boards, there ought to be three impacts.
       First, the boards will be able to make better decisions and 
     be able to implement them more easily. Second, members of the 
     student body will have raised political awareness of their 
     school and the surroundings of their city. And third, the 
     student representative will be provided with opportunities to 
     assume leadership roles and gain skills.
       Students should have a right for making their voices heard, 
     because they are the people being affected by the school 
     board's decisions. Silencing the voices of people you control 
     isn't in the best interest of those governing bodies. 
     Encouraging participation is a lesson that teachers need to 
     take from the students.
       I want to make sure that the students get their voices 
     heard. I fear that some school boards may be inconsistent in 
     allowing a student on the board. First of all, I'm concerned 
     that some school boards will fail to

[[Page E858]]

     provide orientation from the student-trustees. Some student 
     reps may begin their terms without any training. They will 
     just attend their first meeting, not understanding the 
     meeting procedures, nor jurisdictions, nor their own rules, 
     rights and responsibilities. Then they will spend their first 
     month learning how the board operates, and only be able to 
     play a more meaningful role towards the end of term.
       My other concern is that student reps be excluded from the 
     debate and compromise that it is a part of decisionmaking. 
     Many student reps that feel their participation in the 
     decision-making process is limited to their formal role 
     during public meetings. They feel that their input is not 
     sought out formally when the trustees discuss issues and seek 
     support for their positions.
       As long as these two issues do not become a concern, school 
     boards will become more efficient with a student 
     representative.

                                  ____
                                  

              Jamie Walbridge Regarding Graduated License

       JAMIE WALBRIDGE. The issue that we, the teens of the 
     community of Barre, are raising today is the new graduated 
     driver's license. This is an issue that has been raised among 
     many households, and we feel it should be raised once again 
     to the Vermont legislators. We feel the graduated driver's 
     license law has many faults that affect the young teens as 
     well as their families.
       The effect of this law on families in our community is that 
     the teens who have recently gotten their license and fall 
     under this law are restricted from bringing even their 
     siblings to school. There are some schools in Vermont, such 
     as Spaulding, that do not provide a bussing system, forcing 
     parents to go when one of the children is already going. 
     Parents still have to be present when their child and a group 
     of friends carpool to any sort of event.
       In the next few years, all teenagers will be under this 
     law. Therefore, no one can carpool, and there will be more 
     cars on the road. With more cars on the road, the chance of 
     getting into an accident will increase, as well as an 
     increase in pollution going into the air. Here at Spaulding 
     High School, parking is already a major issue. Students are 
     having trouble finding a parking spot, and that's with 
     approximately half the drivers under the law. Can you imagine 
     the parking problems when every student has their own car?
       Another problem we found with the graduated license is that 
     Vermont's restrictions are more harsh and for a longer period 
     of time than most other states that have issued the law, as 
     well. In Vermont the law states that we have our permits for 
     a year, then have passenger restrictions for six months. The 
     first three months of having your license include the 
     following restrictions: By yourself, or if there are other 
     people in the car with you, you need to have a licensed 
     driver of 25 years of age or older. For the second three 
     months of your license, you can only have immediate family 
     with you. In Wyoming, teens have their permits for ten days, 
     and no restrictions when they get their license. Do you think 
     that those teens are ready to drive at all? Kansas, Montana, 
     Nevada, Oklahoma, and Alabama have no restrictions at all.
       When we were researching this law, we called the Department 
     of Motor Vehicles to get statistics, and we were told that 
     nothing could be released because they could not prove that 
     the graduated license was the reason for the decrease in 
     teenage driving fatalities.
       Another problem with the law is that police officers are 
     not even familiar with the graduated license. To us, this 
     seems very unorganized. I was pulled over for having a light 
     out, and I got an $80 ticket for having passengers in my car. 
     I am grandfathered from the law, but I had no proof to show 
     the officer. I contested the ticket and got it voided, but it 
     was a big hassle for no reason.
       We don't think that every aspect of this law is negative or 
     bad. We agree one hundred percent that, without having our 
     permit for a full year, we would not be ready to face the 
     responsibilities and the unexpected problems of the open 
     road. Our solution to this problem is to shorten the 
     restrictions after getting your license, shorten it from six 
     months to two or three months. We don't want to completely 
     abandon the whole law.
       We think that, with all these restrictions on driving, that 
     it has taken away the fun of being 16 and having your 
     license. When you are a little kid, there are three birthdays 
     that you took forward to: When you are 15, you get your 
     permit. At 16, you get your license and can drive around with 
     your friends. At 18, you are officially an adult. The 
     excitement and freedom of turning 16 feels like it is being 
     taken away.

     

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