For many young people, their first encounter with public governance is through the decisions made by their local school board. About 235 of Minnesota's 331 school districts still do not include a student representative on their school board. While districts without student representatives are disproportionately rural, many suburban and urban districts leave students without a formal role as well. A school board member from a rural Minnesota district told me she supported adding a student representative. More than 90 Minnesota school districts already include student representatives, demonstrating that meaningful student participation is both practical and valuable.