AKRON — Students studying government at Tippecanoe Valley High School will hold a public forum Thursday, Oct. 18, to give the community a chance to learn more about the candidates running for school board. This is the third time TVHS students have hosted such an event.

Top row from left are Lacy Wise, Tom Bauters and Kristopher Fear. The bottom row, from left, are Craig A. Durkes and Todd Hoffman.

Jeff Shriver, social studies department chair, has been working with the students to plan the event. Students contacted the candidates to see if they would be interested in participating in the forum. They also came up with the format, the questions that will be asked, and also how the venue would be set up. Shriver said the students’ involvement in this event comes from them watching and studying the debates in class.

“We encourage the kids to vote, and a lot of the time they don’t see a reason to vote,” Shriver said. “We started talking about the school board elections. They’re interested in how the school board works and where policy comes from.”

Superintendent Blaine Conley spoke to the classes to inform the students how a school board election works, the roles and responsibilities of a school board member, what constitutes a quorum, board policy development process,  Indiana’s Open Door Law and the board’s bode of ethics, among other topics.

There are five people running for three school board seats. Candidates will be asked a series of questions and will be given a predetermined amount of time to respond. They will also provide a profile of themselves and have the chance to interact with people during intermission and after the event.

The forum will be held at 7 p.m. at the Akron Community Center, located at 815 Rural Street in Akron. It will be moderated by radio personalities Rita Price-Simpson and Tim Keaffaber. There will be no charge to attend.