School board’s new student member to focus on mental health, opioid awareness and school safety

Clarksburg High senior Praneel Suvarna sworn in Monday

July 2, 2024 3:30 p.m.

Praneel Suvarna, a rising Clarksburg High School senior and newly sworn in student member of the county school board, plans to prioritize school safety and student mental health and take steps to help address the opioid crisis impacting students during his year-long term.

“Those are things that as I was on the campaign trail a lot of students said that they wanted to see addressed, and so, you know, that’s my goal,” Suvarna told MoCo360 at his swearing-in ceremony at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) headquarters in Rockville on Monday.

Suvarna has said that while serving on the school board he wanted to introduce a resolution that would ensure that the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone, would be available to all MCPS security guards to administer.

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“I’ve been talking to members of central staff, to security guards across the county every time I was visiting and start to ask a couple of questions there,” Suvarna said. “That’s something that we’re really interested in. So, looking to get started on the work close to when the school year begins.”

On April 17, Suvarna was elected to be the next student member of the board, also known as SMOB, after running against Montgomery Blair High School junior Sam Ross. Suvarna received 53% of the vote and Ross received 47%, according to an MCPS press release.

Montgomery County is one of two counties in the state to give its student members full voting rights on the school board. The position is unpaid, but the student receives a $25,000 college scholarship, student service learning hours and one honors-level social studies credit, according to MCPS.

Suvarna began his term Monday, taking over from Sami Saeed, who graduated in June from Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville.

Saeed’s year on the board was eventful, starting with a high-profile scandal involving the district’s mishandling of sexual harassment and bullying complaints against a former middle school principal. The resulting controversy led to the resignation of then-superintendent Monifa McKnight. The school year was marked by lockdowns related to threats, disciplinary issues involving students and incidents of weapons discovered in schools.

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During his exit speech Monday, Saeed joked about how “boring and uneventful” the school year had been.

“If I had a quarter for every time that MCPS was in the news, I would have enough money to fully fund this budget right now,” he said, referring to the district’s $3.3 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025, which began Monday.

Saeed noted that his term was “unforgettable,” and the events of the past school year brought excitement to the role. “While it certainly kept me on my toes, I do sincerely hope that no future SMOB has to deal with a year as hectic as this one,” he said.

At the swearing-in ceremony, school board members praised Saeed’s ability to bring positive energy to the school board, especially during tough times of the past year. School board member Shebra Evans, who sat next to Saeed on the dais, said he would consistently “crack her up” and bring a smile to her face.

Board President Karla Silvestre said Saeed was a “great role model” for other MCPS students and student leaders and did a great job engaging with students.

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“He was really in touch with our student body and bringing those voices to the table,” Silvestre said.

Monday was also the first day on the job for the district’s new superintendent Thomas Taylor. The school board voted unanimously on June 25 to appoint Taylor to a four-year term as the new school leader.

At the swearing-in ceremony, Taylor told Suvarna that he was “stepping into” big shoes and was looking forward to working together.

“This is an important day to recognize not just the exchange of leadership and who sits in that particular seat, but to recognize the important and essential value of student voices and the work that we do to make kids prepared for life after high school,” Taylor said. “And what a great example you both are.”

Taylor is not the only new face at MCPS. On June 25, the board also appointed former Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones to be the chief of security and compliance for the school district. Jones’s appointment has drawn both praise and opposition from some in the county.

Suvarna said he plans to reach out to Jones about how the school system will address school safety and security next year, and make sure that the issues he is prioritizing are “being addressed at a larger scale.”

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