When figuring out how to get started developing a Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights (SBRR) on your campus, start with your school administrators. This may be your principal, a counselor, dean of discipline or anyone else who fits the category.

Consider inviting the administrator(s) to your STF meeting on campus. Sometimes finding another time for all to meet may be difficult considering everyone’s schedules, so if they can’t come to you, designate 2-3 students to meet with them. These students may be leaders or general members. Be careful to not let scheduling conflicts slow down your request for meetings. The most important thing is to meet with administrators as early in the process as possible to find out if there are already any existing policies on campus.

Here are some important questions to ask as you start these conversations on campus:

1. Is there already a Student Bill of Responsibilities and Rights on campus?
   • • If so: Is it a living document that can be reviewed and updated to add a human rights lens?
     • If not: Are you open to having groups of students, teachers, admin and parents (if appropriate) come together to draft a SBRR built on the foundation of human rights?
     • If not: Why not? What is preventing us from doing this? Is it district approval? Is it possible to draft the SBRR as a community and present it at a board meeting for approval?
2. Would you be willing to circulate a survey to the whole school (students, faculty, parents – if appropriate) presented by either admin or students to gauge what your school sees as the human rights temperature?
   • • The original survey was developed by two human rights education experts connected to the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force.
3. Would you be willing to have one or more workshop days for students and teachers on campus to review the survey results and begin drafting the SBRR?
   • • The workshops could include representatives from different communities on campus vs. the entire school.
     • The workshops should consider heads of different groups such as club presidents, department chairs, etc. Consider a representative if the head doesn’t want to or is unable to participate.
4. Would you be willing to get teachers, parents and other admin on board?
   • • Are there any other groups that could be included?
5. What do you foresee as some of the biggest barriers you’ll face even having garnered support?
   • • How can you troubleshoot or gain support elsewhere?