Board Bylaw 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.
Any person or group wishing to place an item on the agenda shall register their intent with the Superintendent no later than five (5) days prior to the meeting and include:
A. name and address of the participant;
B. group affiliation, if and when appropriate;
C. topic to be addressed
Such requests shall be subject to the approval of the Superintendent and the Board President.
Denial of the opportunity to have an item placed on the agenda will not preclude an individual or group from the opportunity to speak during the public participation portion of the meeting.
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 and in board committee meetings.
The presiding officer of each Board meeting at which public participation is permitted shall administer the rules of the Board for its conduct.
The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules:
A. Public participation shall be permitted as indicated on the order of business.
B. 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.
C. Attendees should register their intention to participate in the public portion of the meeting upon their arrival at the meeting. No participant may speak more than once.
D. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name and address.
E. Each statement made by a participant is limited to five (5) minutes duration.
F. Participants shall direct all comments to the Board and not to staff or other participants
G. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer; no person may address or question Board members individually.
H. The presiding officer may:
- prohibit public comments which are frivolous, repetitive, or harassing;
- interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;
- request any individual to leave the meeting when that person behaves in a manner that is disruptive of the orderly conduct of the meeting;
- 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;
- 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;
- waive these rules with the approval of the Board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the Board's business.