Several student speakers addressed the Mount Diablo Unified School District Board on Dec. 10 to request a districtwide sustainability policy that would expand environmental education and support school gardens.

Eli Rudolph, a student at College Park High School, told the board the policy would "promote environmental education" and could help the district become "a leader in environmental sustainability and climate action," aligning with district policy 50-30 and LCAP Goal 3. He said gardens can reduce one-time materials costs and provide sustained, hands-on instructional resources.

Aburami Narayanan of Northgate High School and Jen Hue Huang, participating through the California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program, made similar pitches. They urged the board to integrate garden-based, cross-curricular learning and to use gardens to teach food systems, nutrition and stress reduction for students.

Public commenters also noted petitions supporting the Pleasant Hill Instructional Garden and expressed confusion about new volunteer and administrative requirements for garden agreements. Board members acknowledged the comments and noted follow-up opportunities with district staff.

The students asked for district-level policy action; board members did not take immediate action on the request at the meeting but heard the studentsremarks as part of public comment.