On July 1, Anuva Maloo was formally appointed as the 48th Student Member of the Board (SMOB) by the Montgomery County Board of Education. Below is more information as provided by the Board of Education:
Ms. Maloo, a fervent supporter and student leader, contributes years of expertise in community involvement and student government. She has been the founder and president of the NEC and DCC Advocacy Coalition, the workshop deputy for the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association, and the class president at her school. She is also the director of outreach for the Yellow Foundation, a global NGO that helps young people living in poverty.
The five main pillars of Ms. Maloo’s term will be boosting access to mental health resources, enhancing school safety, fostering representation, solving infrastructure requirements, and extending educational possibilities. She encourages all students to participate, whether through their school’s SMOB Advisory Council representative, direct communication via email or social media, or an anonymous feedback form that is always open. She is dedicated to making student voices a priority in Board decisions.
In addition to her advocacy work, Ms. Maloo likes to exercise, dance, do art, and hang out with her loved ones. Although she is still figuring out her future, she is unwavering in her resolve to defend equality and stand up for others.
According to Ms. Maloo, the Student Member of the Board is essential to making sure that the voices and lived experiences of the more than 150,000 students in MCPS are heard. Because, in her words, “Even when it feels small or unnoticed, it truly does matter in the end,” she intends to use her platform to encourage others to speak up and become involved.
The Board of Education has the SMOB as a voting member. Only two counties in Maryland grant full voting privileges to this post, and Montgomery County is one of them. The SMOB has the authority to vote on issues pertaining to school boundaries, closings, reopenings, capital and operating budgets, and collective bargaining. The SMOB, however, is unable to vote on unfavorable personnel decisions.
SMOBs have obligations and time outside of the school day. There is remuneration even when the position is unpaid. In addition to one honors-level social studies credit and student service learning hours, the SMOB receives $25,000, which may be used as a salary, scholarship, or both.
