If he gets the most votes in November, a rising senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South will become the youngest Board of Education member in New Jersey.

Jordon DeGroote
Jordon DeGroote, 17, could become the youngest Board of Education member in the state. (degroote4boe.org)
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Jordan DeGroote, 17, is taking on the vice president of the board, Michele Kaish, who's seeking her second term.

DeGroote, who will turn 18 before Election Day, said his first interaction with the board came during his sophomore year when he attempted to start a mock trial club, and he quickly learned the panel wasn't so focused on the interests of the students.

"My campaign is not about shock; my campaign is about the issues," DeGroote said. "My hope is that people can see beyond the fact that I'm 17 years old, that I'm a student, and take my issues at face value and take these solutions at face value."

His platform specifically takes on teacher evaluations, the program for summer courses and board transparency.

"Currently, the Board of Ed meetings are not televised, while a number of meetings around our district and in the area are televised," he said.

The football captain is also president of the school's Model UN team and runs a nonprofit that teaches public speaking to community youth.

John Celock, a New Jersey native and author of "The Next Generation: Young Elected Officials and their Impact on American Politics," said it's encouraging to watch the younger generation get involved in politics, especially at the Board of Education level, which is unpaid but demands plenty of time.

"It's good to see more young people running for office and stepping up," Celock said. "But it's also very good to see that voters are receptive to young candidates."

In 2013, 18-year-old Chase Harrison was elected to Millburn's board, but did not seek reelection the next year.

Celock noted New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was 20 years old when he was elected to the Board of Education in Union City in 1974. Decades later, Harry Zikas Jr., the former mayor of Alpha, was elected to the local school board at the age of 18.

DeGroote said if he successfully unseats Kaish, he will attend college locally to ensure that he maintains a presence and fulfills his role.

"This is not a joke," he said. "This is something that I am really dedicated to."

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