PUBLIC COMMENT AT BOARD MEETINGS

PUBLIC COMMENT AT BOARD MEETINGS

po0167.3Adopted June 20, 2016Revised August 17, 2022

0167.3 - PUBLIC COMMENT 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.

Written correspondence pertaining to issues before the School District of Durand-Arkansaw School District may be sent to the Superintendent, Board President or Board members at either the District Office or at their home addresses. Written correspondence shall also be accepted at Board and committee meetings. Any written correspondences shall be shared with the whole Board.
 
Public Comment Section of the Meeting
      
The Board shall provide one (1) period for public participation.
           
To permit fair and orderly public expression, the Board may provide a period for public comment at any regular meeting of the Board and publish rules to govern such comment in Board meetings.
      
The presiding officer of each Board meeting at which public comment is permitted shall administer the rules of the Board for its conduct.
   
The presiding officer shall be guided by the following rules:

  1. Public comment shall be permitted, as indicated on the order of business, and at the discretion of the presiding officer.
  2. Anyone having a legitimate interest in the actions of the Board may comment during the public portion of a meeting.
  3. Attendees must register their intention to comment during the public portion of the meeting upon their arrival at the meeting.
  4. Participants must be recognized by the presiding officer and will be requested to preface their comments by an announcement of their name, address, and group affiliation, if and when appropriate.
  5. Each speaker will be allowed a maximum of three (3) minutes per comment period to address an issue or express an opinion to the Board, not the audience. An extension to the time limit may be granted by the Board President. Each speaker may speak only once, and may not yield their minutes to another speaker.
  6. No participant may speak more than once on the same topic.
  7. Participants shall direct all comments to the Board as a whole and not to staff or other participants.
  8. Participants shall address only topics within the legitimate jurisdiction of the Board.
  9. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer; no person may address or question Board members individually.
  10. The presiding officer may:
     
    1. interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;
    2. request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum;
    3. 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;
    4. waive these rules, with the approval of the Board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the Board's business.
       
      1. Comments at a regular meeting may deal with any topic related to the Board’s management of the school. However, discussion of personnel or any individual members of the Board shall not be appropriate. Comments at a special meeting must be related to the reason(s) the meeting was called.
      2. The Board may discuss matters raised by the public during the public participation portion of the meeting, provided such matter was included on the meeting agenda notice. The Board will not take any action on any non-agenda matter during a meeting. These matters will be referred to District staff, Board committees, or placed on the agenda for a later meeting.
      3. The Board President may terminate the remarks of any individual if inappropriate or not adhering to these guidelines. The public comment period may be terminated upon a motion and approval of the full Board.
  11. The portion of the meeting during which the comment of the public is invited shall be limited to thirty (30) per period, unless extended by a vote of the Board.
  12. The Board may authorize administration to arrange for the recording, filming, photographing, broadcasting, or live streaming of open sessions of Board meetings.
  13. Signage, banners, or other material which impedes any person's view of the proceedings, including a Board member's view, shall be relocated so as not to obstruct views.

Recording, filming, or photographing the Board’s open meetings by Third Parties is permitted pursuant to 19.90, Wis. Stat.. Recording, filming, or photographing the Board’s closed session is only permitted pursuant to Bylaw 0167.2 – Closed Session. The person operating the equipment should contact the District Administrator prior to the Board meeting to review possible placement of the equipment, and must agree to abide by 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 or otherwise disrupt the meeting while the Board is in session.

Revised 9/23/20
Revised 9/15/21

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