The 2025 Student Advisory Council (SAC) members, representing the student bodies across Atlanta Public Schools (APS), gathered before the start of the school year to meet district leaders, engage with each other, and continue the tradition of bringing student voice to the table.
The SAC is a group of students in grades 9-12 who meet monthly to discuss how decisions made at the district level are affecting students throughout APS. The members serve as liaisons between APS and the student body.
“These young people are the representation of the 52,000 students of APS, ensuring that we are serving them,” APS program director of community affairs Keith Glass said. “For many years, even when I was a student here at APS, I realized a lot of decisions were made for students and not with students. We’re very intentional about elevating student voice.”
This year’s council is the largest yet with the addition of a delegate from Phoenix Academy. Thirty-one student leaders make up the 2025 SAC, and they arrived at orientation ready to engage in their duties.
During their orientation, they heard from APS Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson, APS chief of policy Erica Long, and several other district leaders. The meet-and-greet quickly turned into an impromptu Q&A session with the delegates curious about school policies, the strategic plan, the future of APS, and more.
SAC member Alexander Chalk, a senior at North Atlanta High School, said it was an incredible experience to engage with the district leadership and learn more about what goes into the decision-making at APS.
“I didn’t know that much was happening all the time with APS and that we were making so many advancements and actually working every single day to better everyone’s experience in APS,” he said. “I’m very excited to get involved and to discuss more with those people and learn more about what I can do.”
Chalk was encouraged by a friend who shared how her experience with the council gave her a chance to voice the concerns of the entire school, make an impact on APS policies, and give opportunities to students that they didn’t have before.
SAC members in the past have played a role in many district and community events as representatives of their schools. The 2024-2025 council members were involved with the APS Family Engagement Conference, the Exceptional Prom, Atlanta Pride Parade, Moving Her Forward Summit, and collaborated with multiple APS departments on various projects and events.
“I’ve been working with the SAC for the last seven years now, and all of them have left a legacy,” Glass said. “I’m excited to see what the 2025 SAC will do.”