Carmel High School junior Jasmine Jin has spent two months pushing for a vote that California law says she already has.

Jin, the 2026-27 student representative on the Carmel Unified School District Board of Education, discovered over the summer that Section 35012 of the California Education Code requires districts to grant student board members a preferential vote. The law defines it as a formal expression of opinion, recorded in the minutes and cast before the board's official vote. It does not count toward the final tally.

No CUSD student representative has ever been given one.

The Sandpiper, Carmel High's student newspaper, first reported Thursday, Oct. 1 that Jin raised the issue with CUSD Superintendent Sharon Ofek during a one-on-one meeting in August. Jin told the paper that Ofek said she "didn't find it necessary" because Jin could speak or ask questions after presentations.

Jin paraphrased Ofek's position as preferring other channels for student input. But Jin told The Sandpiper the preferential vote matters beyond her own tenure, saying it would apply to every student who takes on the board representative role in the future.

At the Sept. 9 board meeting, Jin asked questions and shared her perspective during presentations but was excluded from the voice vote when board members cast official ballots. Board president Matt Glazer said at that meeting the board was working with staff, its leadership adviser, Jin and legal counsel to clarify how the student representative participates going forward.

As of Sept. 28, Jin had not received word on whether she would be allowed to cast a preferential vote at future meetings.

Ofek, in a statement to The Sandpiper, called the student board member role important and said Jin helps provide the student perspective on topics before the board. Ofek did not directly address whether the district plans to comply with Section 35012.

The student board representative position was previously part of the Carmel High Associated Student Body president's duties. That changed for the 2024-25 school year after then-ASB president Marcus Mitchie proposed separating the roles. Cullen Pritchard served as the first standalone student representative that year.

The CUSD Board of Education meets Wednesday, Oct. 7. The district's board-meeting page was not accessible on Oct. 7, so whether the preferential vote question is formally on the agenda remains unclear.