The new student voice on the Fairfax County School Board wants every FCPS student to be able to book time with a school psychologist or social worker themselves.
Newt Shosteck, a rising senior at Hayfield Secondary School, began his one-year term as the board's nonvoting student representative on Wednesday. Elected by the countywide Student Advisory Council, he is the 56th student to hold the position in FCPS history.
His top priority: a standardized, self-directed sign-up system for mental health staff at every school in the district.
"Ideally, students will be able to easily see the next time a social worker can speak with them in their student service center and sign up for a time slot without having to actively ask someone or have their parents notified," Shosteck said in a statement published by FCPS.
For families in the South Lakes pyramid, the proposal highlights a gap between availability and accessibility. South Lakes High School already offers free teletherapy sessions to students, according to the school's June 1 newsletter, but no FCPS school currently has the kind of visible, walk-up booking board Shosteck describes. If Shosteck's plan were to be implemented, a student at South Lakes or Langston Hughes Middle School who wanted to see a counselor would simply check available time slots in the student service center and sign up.
Shosteck said many students struggle to self-advocate and ask for help. He framed the system as a way to lower that barrier for FCPS's approximately 180,000 students.
Other priorities
Shosteck also listed security policy reform and strengthening the Student Advisory Council as goals for his term. He did not provide details on what security changes he would pursue. He further plans to meet with groups of high school students countywide, create a contact form for concerns and conduct surveys on specific policies.
Who he succeeds
Shosteck is replacing Faith Hailu Mekonen, a South County High School graduate whom the board honored with a unanimous 12-0 proclamation at a meeting in June. Mekonen's tenure covered the Comprehensive Boundary Review, the revised secondary grading policy and school safety initiatives.
Shosteck previously served as the Franconia District representative on the School Board Leadership Development Program and as president of the Hayfield High School Democrats. He also founded a political science website featuring election forecasting models.
How to follow his work
The next regular School Board meeting is Thursday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at Luther Jackson Middle School. Meetings air live on Cox Channel 99, Verizon FiOS Channel 11, and stream on the FCPS website and YouTube. Families who want to reach Shosteck can contact the FCPS Office of Communications at 571-423-1200 until a direct contact form goes live. Community members can register to speak at board meetings.
