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Students ask to be involved as Hamilton County school board considers club policy

Staff photo by Larry Sullivan II / Hamilton County school board members, from left, Ben Daugherty, Joe Smith and Gary Kuehn listen during a meeting. On March 12, 2026, a group of students addressed the board, asking to be involved as the panel considers changing the student club and organization policy. Staff photo by Larry Sullivan II / Hamilton County school board members, from left, Ben Daugherty, Joe Smith and Gary Kuehn listen during a meeting. On March 12, 2026, a group of students addressed the board, asking to be involved as the panel considers changing the student club and organization policy.

By Shannon Coan March 12, 2026 3 min read

As the Hamilton County school board weighs updating its club policy, a group of students is asking to be involved in the process.

“Students are the ones who participate in these clubs every day,” Valerie Hall told board members Thursday. “Because of that, students’ voices should be a part of the conversations about policies that directly affect them. Clubs are where many students build friendships, discover their interests and learn how to engage with people who think differently than them. Those are valuable experiences that help prepare us for life beyond high school.”

Six students from across the county addressed the board together, emphasizing that they were not trying to prevent any clubs from existing but that there should be guidelines outlining the organizations’ rights and responsibilities.

The students asked for the club policy to have accountability procedures, noting that a lack of clear guidelines could lead to inconsistent enforcement between different schools and unanswered questions.