TAMPA, Fla. — Have you ever thought of a policy, or a problem, and thought “that ought to be a law?”

That’s exactly what Hillsborough County high school students were encouraged to do for the “Ought to Be a Law” program, which is a collaboration between Hillsborough Schools and the Florida Legislature.

Students bring their ideas into bill draft form through extensive research, then present their bills to the Hillsborough County School Board.

This year, a group from Sickles High School was chosen to take their bill to Tallahassee, which sends a positive message to all students.

“You can make a difference,” said Tina Casibang, the Student Government Sponsor at Sickles High School. “You just get a couple of voices together, and you find the right people, you can make a difference for all of the state of Florida, which is amazing, it’s an amazing opportunity for these kids.”

Danielle Musry, a Sickles High School senior, is part of the team selected to lobby for their bill in Tallahassee early next year.

“Basically, it’s a bill that kind of hits on educating restaurants on what to do if someone has a food allergy,” Musry said.

It’s called “The Oakley Bill” and will target the nine most common food allergies in restaurants.

“We came across the Red Sneakers organization, which was dedicated to a young boy named Oakley, he was 11 years old and he passed,” Musry said. “He had a nut allergy, and he had a piece of food that had walnuts in it, which he was allergic to, he had an anaphylaxis reaction.”

All of the students in the group wear red sneakers in his honor, but Musry says the Oakley Bill really hits home for her.

“My mom does have a really bad food allergy, she’s allergic to shellfish,” she said. “So I kind of see it. We avoid restaurants, because even if it’s in the same pan, we can’t eat there, so I do see how it’s important. “It does affect me. It was something I was passionate about. I didn’t see myself doing it, but now that I do, I’m glad we hit on this.”

Throughout the process of writing this bill, the students say they researched similar laws in other states to help them format it. They’ve worked with organizations dealing with food allergies, and they’ve worked with professional bill writers. 

They say their goal wasn’t to just win Hillsborough County’s “Ought to Be a Law” competition, but to actually see this through. 

“As a high school student, that’s pretty nerve-wracking to go and meet with these bigger people who have such an influence on your state, however, I really think you just have to stand your ground, you know your stuff and if you feel confident in what you’re doing, you can really make a difference,” said Reese Ryley, a senior on the team.

Ryley and Musry say they’ll continue tweaking the bill until they go lobby in Tallahassee early next year. 

“It’s a really cool program, ought to be a law program, it’s kind of like student led, what you want to make happen, you will make it happen,” Musry said.

With their passion for politics, Musry said the group hopes to harness the power for change, making this state a better place for everyone.

State Representative Susan Valdes will present the “Oakley Bill” in Tallahassee.