California students may soon be able to get official state recognition for the work they do to support their local PTSAs and schools. An item before the State Board of Education on September 10 establishes the criteria by which local school districts can award their students the State Seal of Civic Engagement.

The State Board is adopting criteria intended to guide local school districts in crafting their own requirements for awarding the seal. Districts will have to opt into the program and the first step will be developing their requirements, using the state criteria as a framework. Those criteria include being on track to complete required high school coursework and understanding the basics of US and California government.

To earn the seal, however, students also have to participate in one or more projects that address real-world problem and demonstrate that in doing so they looked at the problem from multiple perspectives, took action, and reflected on how their efforts would impact others in their community. Sounds like PTA activism to me!

The criteria also require students to write about or present what they learned and get a recommendation regarding their civic-mindedness and commitment from someone in their school or community.

Over the next few months a group of civic-minded groups will be putting out more information about the State Seal and encouraging California’s school district superintendents to develop local plans for its implementation. Your voice — and support from your local PTA — can help elevate the importance of the State Seal of Civic Engagement in your local school and district.

This video produced by GenUp, a group dedicated to student leadership and civic engagement, features students explaining why the State Seal of Civic Engagement is important.

This article was written by Mary Perry, the California State PTA liaison to the State Board of Education.

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