Section 1901. Central high school districts; number and election of members of board of education

1. Existing central  high  school  districts  are  continued.  Boards  of  education  of such central high school districts
  heretofore established shall continue as constituted under the order  of
  the  commissioner.  The  number  of their members shall be not less than
  five. There shall be at least one member  of  such  a  board  from  each
  common  school  district  and  at  least two from each union free school
  district within the central high school district. The board of education
  of each union free school district in  each  such  central  high  school
  district  shall  appoint  the  number  of  persons  so designated by the
  commissioner to represent such district  as  members  of  the  board  of
  education  of  such  central high school district. In each common school
  district having a  sole  trustee,  such  trustee  shall  represent  such
  district  as  a  member  of  the board of education of such central high
  school district. If a common school district have three  trustees,  such
  board  of  trustees shall designate one of its members to represent such
  district as a  member  of  such  board  of  education.  The  persons  so
  designated  shall  be  members  of the board of education of the central
  high school district during their terms of  office  as  members  of  the
  board  of  education  or  as  trustees  of  the  districts  respectively
  represented by them. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office  of  a
  member  of  the board of education of such central high school district,
  it shall be filled as above provided.
    2. Each central high school district, at the next annual  meeting  and
  election  subsequent to the effective date of the chapter of the laws of
  two thousand five which  added  this  subdivision,  may  submit  to  the
  qualified  voters  of  the district for approval the issue of ex officio
  student membership, on the school district's board of  education,  by  a
  student  attending a high school within such school district. Upon voter
  approval, each such district  shall  establish  a  process  for  student
  membership  selection  pursuant  to paragraph c of this subdivision. If,
  prior to August fifth, two thousand  three,  a  school  district  had  a
  policy  that  allowed  a student or students to be ex officio members of
  the school board, such policy shall be deemed to meet  the  requirements
  of  this  subdivision  and shall be deemed to have full legal effect. In
  any district that contains more than one high school, such process shall
  take into consideration the number of high schools within  the  district
  and  shall  provide for a mechanism which allows for fair representation
  among the schools. Such district shall allow such  selected  student  to
  serve  as  an  ex officio member of such board of education, and, if so,
  provided further that:
    a. The ex officio student member of the board shall be entitled to sit
  with board members at all public meetings of the board  and  participate
  in all board hearings and meetings.
    b.  The ex officio student member of the board shall not be allowed to
  vote, shall not be allowed to attend executive session, and shall not be
  entitled to receive compensation of any form for participating at  board
  meetings.
    c.  Notwithstanding  any  other  law  to  the contrary, the ex officio
  student member of the board may be any of  the  following:  the  student
  that  has  been  duly elected as student president of the high school; a
  student duly elected by the student body; a student selected by the high
  school student  government;  a  student  selected  by  the  high  school
  principal;   a  student  selected  by  the  superintendent  of  schools.
  Provided, however, in districts having district-wide student governments
  or advisory committees, student ex officio members shall be selected  by
  the   superintendent   of   schools  from  among  the  members  of  such

  district-wide student governments or  advisory  committees,  subject  to
  ratification by majority vote of the school board.
    d.  The ex officio student member shall be a senior at the high school
  and shall have attended such high school for at least two years prior to
  selection.
    3. Each central high school district may  offer  to  the  voters  once
  every  two  years, on the same date as the annual school district budget
  vote, a separate referendum to decide whether the school district  shall
  allow  a  student,  as  established  under this section, to serve on the
  school board as an ex officio, non-voting member.