Public Participation at Board Meetings

0167.3 - PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS

The Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on District matters.

To permit fair and orderly public expression, the Board shall provide a period for public participation at public meetings of the Board and publish rules to govern such participation in Board meetings. The rules shall be administered and enforced by the presiding officer of the meeting.

The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules:

1. Public participation shall be permitted as indicated on the order of business.
2. Anyone with concerns related to the operation of the schools or to matters within the authority of the Board may participate during the public portion of a meeting.
3. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name and address.
4. Each statement made by a participant shall be limited to five (5) minutes duration.
5. Participants shall direct all comments to the Board and not to staff or other participants.
6. The presiding officer may:

A) prohibit public comments which are frivolous, repetitive, or harassing;

B) interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant’s statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;

C) request any individual to leave the meeting when that person behaves in a manner that is disruptive of the orderly conduct of the meeting;

D) request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person’s conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting;

 E) call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action;

F) waive these rules with the approval of the Board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the Board’s business.

7. The portion of the meeting during which the participation of the public is invited shall be limited to twenty (20) minutes, but the timeframe will be extended, if necessary, so that no one’s right to address the Board will be denied.

Tape or video recordings are permitted subject to the following conditions:

1. No obstructions are created between the Board and the audience.
2. No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the Board is in session.
3. No commentary, adjustment of equipment, or positioning of operators is made that would distract either the Board or members of the audience while the Board is in session.

The person operating the recorder should contact the Superintendent prior to the Board meeting to review possible placement of the equipment.

© Neola 2018