POLAND – Local students learned what the life of a legislator is like when state Sen. Neria Douglass visited the Poland School System as part of a nationwide program encouraging more student participation in government. The senator met with a number of grades to discuss student participation in government and civic duty.

Douglass joined state legislators from across the country in participating in the third national America’s Legislators Back to School Week, sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Last year, an estimated 2,500 state legislatures talked to more than 300,000 students, sharing the benefits of the nation’s representative form of government.

“It is important that students understand how our representative form of government works for all of us,” Douglass said. “The Back to School Program is a great way to get our youth interested in government while giving me an opportunity to share my experiences in the legislature. Hopefully, the program will inspire the students to become active in politics and government. “

The week is a product of the conference’s recently launched civic education initiative, the Trust for Representative Democracy. Based on the ideas and fundamental principles of civic duty, the trust is designed to engage young people and build their understanding and support for America’s democratic institutions. A bipartisan nonprofit organization, it is composed of the nation’s state legislators and staff.

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