Two high school students from Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) will participate in a virtual town hall on Wednesday, February 19, as they campaign to become the next Student Member of the Board (SMOB).
Abhijeet Mand, a junior at North Point High School, and Munachi Obinali, a sophomore at La Plata High School, will take part in the event, answering questions submitted by CCPS students in Grades 6 through 12. The town hall will be livestreamed at 6 p.m. on the CCPS YouTube channel, offering students an opportunity to learn more about the candidates’ platforms and perspectives.
Students who wish to submit questions must do so by noon on Tuesday, February 18, using the online form provided by CCPS at this link. A Zoom link for the event will be shared through Synergy mail with students eligible to vote in the election. After the event, the town hall will be available for viewing on the CCPS YouTube channel.
In addition to the live event, candidate introductory videos and issue statements will be accessible online beginning February 21. CCPS middle and high school students will be able to view them on the Charles County Association of Student Councils (CCASC) website, provided they are logged into their CCPS Office 365 account.
The Student Member of the Board of Education of Charles County holds full membership on the Board, including voting rights on most matters. However, the student representative is excluded from voting on legal appeals, personnel matters, collective bargaining, hiring, salary and evaluation of the superintendent, operating and capital budgets, and school openings, closings, and boundary decisions.
The election process will take place from March 31 through May 2. Ballots will be emailed to students via Synergy, and results will be announced the week of May 6. The elected student member will be sworn into office in late June and will serve a one-year term beginning on July 1 for the 2025-2026 school year.
Students with questions about the election or town hall can contact CCASC advisor Gary Winsett at gwinsett@ccboe.com.
