N.Y. Educ. Law § 1901

§ 1901. Central high school districts; number and election of members\nof board of education. 1. Existing central high school districts are\ncontinued. Boards of education of such central high school districts\nheretofore established shall continue as constituted under the order of\nthe commissioner. The number of their members shall be not less than\nfive. There shall be at least one member of such a board from each\ncommon school district and at least two from each union free school\ndistrict within the central high school district. The board of education\nof each union free school district in each such central high school\ndistrict shall appoint the number of persons so designated by the\ncommissioner to represent such district as members of the board of\neducation of such central high school district. In each common school\ndistrict having a sole trustee, such trustee shall represent such\ndistrict as a member of the board of education of such central high\nschool district. If a common school district have three trustees, such\nboard of trustees shall designate one of its members to represent such\ndistrict as a member of such board of education. The persons so\ndesignated shall be members of the board of education of the central\nhigh school district during their terms of office as members of the\nboard of education or as trustees of the districts respectively\nrepresented by them. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office of a\nmember of the board of education of such central high school district,\nit shall be filled as above provided.\n 2. Each central high school district, at the next annual meeting and\nelection subsequent to the effective date of the chapter of the laws of\ntwo thousand five which added this subdivision, may submit to the\nqualified voters of the district for approval the issue of ex officio\nstudent membership, on the school district's board of education, by a\nstudent attending a high school within such school district. Upon voter\napproval, each such district shall establish a process for student\nmembership selection pursuant to paragraph c of this subdivision. If,\nprior to August fifth, two thousand three, a school district had a\npolicy that allowed a student or students to be ex officio members of\nthe school board, such policy shall be deemed to meet the requirements\nof this subdivision and shall be deemed to have full legal effect. In\nany district that contains more than one high school, such process shall\ntake into consideration the number of high schools within the district\nand shall provide for a mechanism which allows for fair representation\namong the schools. Such district shall allow such selected student to\nserve as an ex officio member of such board of education, and, if so,\nprovided further that:\n a. The ex officio student member of the board shall be entitled to sit\nwith board members at all public meetings of the board and participate\nin all board hearings and meetings.\n b. The ex officio student member of the board shall not be allowed to\nvote, shall not be allowed to attend executive session, and shall not be\nentitled to receive compensation of any form for participating at board\nmeetings.\n c. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the ex officio\nstudent member of the board may be any of the following: the student\nthat has been duly elected as student president of the high school; a\nstudent duly elected by the student body; a student selected by the high\nschool student government; a student selected by the high school\nprincipal; a student selected by the superintendent of schools.\nProvided, however, in districts having district-wide student governments\nor advisory committees, student ex officio members shall be selected by\nthe superintendent of schools from among the members of such\ndistrict-wide student governments or advisory committees, subject to\nratification by majority vote of the school board.\n d. The ex officio student member shall be a senior at the high school\nand shall have attended such high school for at least two years prior to\nselection.\n 3. Each central high school district may offer to the voters once\nevery two years, on the same date as the annual school district budget\nvote, a separate referendum to decide whether the school district shall\nallow a student, as established under this section, to serve on the\nschool board as an ex officio, non-voting member.\n