Neuqua student denied senior class president post

Since the dawn of his days in middle school, 17-year-old Rodney Boyd Jr. had his sights set on leading his senior class at Neuqua Valley High School.

Earlier this spring, however, officials at the Naperville school forced Boyd to surrender his dream, denying him a position on the April 8 ballot for senior class president.

Boyd and his family went to DuPage County court and met with school leaders in unsuccessful attempts to reverse the ruling that kept him off the ballot. Now, on June 8, they are poised to bring their case to the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board.

Boyd has served on student council since his days at Scullen Middle School and was elected president of both his sophomore and junior classes at Neuqua.

"Since I was very young, older family members have encouraged me to get involved in student activities and student council as a way to meet people and learn how to interact with all types of people and to learn how to become a leader," Boyd said Thursday. "I've prepared myself to be senior class president to ensure that prom and other senior events go smooth. I made my mind up very early that that was how I was going to do it."

Neuqua officials, including his two class sponsors, had other plans and refused to give Boyd their endorsement to run for senior class president. The endorsement was the only requirement of three Boyd lacked; he applied on time and received a positive recommendation from his guidance counselor.

"The class sponsors worked with Rodney for two years and felt that they could not give that endorsement this year," Principal Bob McBride said. "Our sponsors follow each class through the end and review performance. After Rodney's sophomore year they saw his strengths and weaknesses and ultimately decided to give the recommendation to keep working with him into his junior year.

"This year they had another chance to work with and review Rodney and made a decision not to give that professional judgment."

School officials and Boyd's parents concede Rodney had a stressful year with his father serving as a lieutenant colonel in Iraq and his mother having heart surgery after a series of complications. But school officials say that didn't have any connection to the decision to keep him off the ballot.

McBride declined to comment specifically on what led to that ruling, but Boyd said he was punished for not taking on additional secretarial duties on the student council board after the treasurer was dismissed for scheduling conflicts.

"No one ever questioned my leadership. In fact, they told me often that I led well but they were upset I wasn't taking on more secretarial duties," Boyd said. "My goal was to keep communication with the class and I felt I did that."

McBride said Rodney was given continuous advice and constructive criticism to guide him and help him improve.

"Throughout the year, his sponsors provided him with continuous feedback," McBride said. "And I personally know that feedback was direct, clear and brutally honest."

Boyd learned he would not be allowed on the ballot on March 13 and immediately began an aggressive write-in campaign, using his passing periods to rally support and launching social networking Internet sites dedicated to the cause.

"I worked it from all angles because everywhere I went students encouraged me to keep it up," Boyd said.

McBride acknowledged that Boyd received an "unbelievably high" number of write-in votes in the April 8 election but none of them were counted.

"We don't count write-ins," McBride said. "I don't know the number he received but he did have a high number of write-in votes - but he was not eligible for election."

In a perfect world, Boyd said he would like the school board to review his case and reconsider allowing him on the ballot in a "redo" election.

"I just want my classmates' voices to be heard by being allowed on the ballot and if I win, great. If not, I'll accept it and move on," he said. "But I want to be clear that I have no hard feelings against the young lady the school chose to seat and I respect her for also wanting to represent and support our senior class."

McBride doubts that scenario will play out but says he hopes Boyd stays involved in student government by "taking a committee leadership role that matches his skills better."

"Ultimately this comes down to Rodney and his parents not being able to accept that two people who have worked with him professionally and in an educational setting for two years don't think his skill set is best utilized leading the senior class," McBride said. "And I understand that can be a hard thing to hear but that opinion is thorough, honest and accurate."

Rodney's father, Rodney Boyd, Sr., said he would have liked to have a face-to-face meeting with McBride to hear that in person because he believes the system is "unfair and biased."

"Why is it I can serve my country, twice on foreign soil, only to come home to fight for a democratic process in my son's school?" he asked. "We will take this to the school board on June 8 and we will use our three minutes to ask them to count the write-in votes to see if Rodney won and to implement a process that is fair and unbiased. Maybe someone there believes in the democratic process."